Souls Collide
by Kinthinia
Summary: Dean manages to get away from Sam for a few days and meets a sweet waitress, Kora, who's struggling and needs him as much as he needs her. Companion fic to Bloody Ashes Are All I Have. Warning for content.
1. December '06

December 2006

The deep, grumbling roar of the Impala could be heard as Dean pulled up in front of a building with flashing lights. There was the outline of a woman, flashing neon pink. Just what he needed, a little relaxation. He shut the engine off, shoving his keys into his pocket as he got out of the car and headed towards the building. It was a double-door building and he grabbed the right because it was closest and headed inside. He went to the bar first and ordered a whiskey, paying the bartender.

He grabbed his drink and took a welcome gulp of the liquid and it burned as went it down. The music playing was jazzy, with long heavy beats and almost a popish kind of tune to it. He turned away to look towards the stage and choked on his drink as he saw that there were men on stage. Half naked dancing men. He could see the guy beside him not so subtly rubbing at the front of his pants, his eyes glued to the stage. Dean followed his gaze to notice the tall, lithe blonde who was giving quite the performance. Dean would have bet he could've given any female stripper a run for her money. He wasn't a judge of how he would have performed against any other male strippers considering that he hadn't seen them before.

He looked away before he could let his consciousness accuse him of liking what he saw. Because he didn't. He saw the bartender smirking at him. It was far easier to just ignore what he had seen and pretend that it wasn't what he saw. He could just pretend there were female strippers in the background, ugly, horribly ugly female strippers.

"What?" he drawled defensively.

"That one's a real charmer," he gestured to the blonde. "Dallas."

"Well that's just great…" He was so not sticking around any longer than necessary.

"Let me guess, the sign fooled ya?"

"Yeah."

"Right door leads to here, left to the female strippers," the barkeep chuckled at that. "They ain't open today. Gets too rowdy with both of us, we run on opposite days."

"Great," he grumbled irritably. "You know any good diners nearby?" His stomach growled a little at the thought of food and he was just eager to get out of this place.

"Yeah, you might want to try Sonata's. Just go down a block –place doesn't look good but I swear they make the best Philly cheese steaks a guy could ever hope for."

"Eh, sounds good," Dean smiled amiably.

He gave a brief salute to the barkeep and made his way out of the strip club. He got into the Impala and followed the instructions he'd been given. The guy was right when he'd described the place as not looking very good. Half of the sign was lit up and there was a sign on the door that read open. The place was practically jam packed with customers, but it was spacious enough. Dean parked and headed inside, the promise of a delicious Philly cheese luring him inside.

A waitress offered him a grand smile and let him to a table that was basically in middle of the diner. She went to hand him his menu and he waved her off. There was a group of young men gathered at a booth table, laughing. They sounded a little drunk.

"What can I get you?" his waitress inquired, stopping before him.

She was gorgeous –just about drop dead gorgeous actually –in a way that a sweet ol' Southern girl was. She had golden blonde hair that was braided back and in danger of falling over her shoulder. Her apron was dirty and stained and she looked just about exhausted but she still had a warm smile for him. She wasn't like some women who just caked on make-up to hide their imperfections, she had just enough to accentuate her perfections and he wondered if she was even aware of it.

"Coffee, black, and one of your famous Philly cheese steaks?"

"Sure thing," she smiled warmly and wrote his order down before hurrying back to the kitchen.

Dean watched the way she walked and decided that he liked it. He smiled to himself and glanced around the diner. The decorations were decent, minimal and the place was cleaner than some of the diners he'd been in before. It was nice to finally catch a break from all of Sam's nagging and just… relax. He still had a whole lot of time to kill and he was pretty sure he just found a damn good way to spend it.

She came back around shortly, a coffee pot in hand and she poured his cup full to the brim and shot him another pleasant smile before heading off as someone called her over. He caught sight of her nametag –Kora. He watched her once more from the corner of his eye and he swore that she almost turned around to look at him. He took a drink of his coffee idly, waiting for her to walk again to watch her. There was no one else in here that was pretty enough to watch _aside_ from her. Even if the food sucked, there was potential to get her into bed with him. He was certain of that.

Someone good looking like him and someone as gorgeous as her, there was no way they couldn't be together. He had a feeling that if he ever managed to articulate those words to her however, that she would not be quite so willing. He just wasn't sure who or what she was looking for yet. She bustled past his table to the back, serving them their food before heading back to the kitchen. He glanced at her covertly, checking her out. She wasn't flat but she wasn't busty either, about average. She had a willowy build, like that of a dancer and he wondered what she did when she wasn't working.

She disappeared into the kitchen and Dean went back to drinking his coffee. It wasn't that amazing or anything and he was a lot more interested in watching that waitress. He glanced towards her as she made her way back out carrying several plates. She set his down before him, a large and very delicious looking Philly cheese steak on it. The moment he smelled it, he was gone to heaven and the second he took a bite he knew he wouldn't be back for awhile. He savored every last bite and wished that there were more places that could make a Philly cheese steak taste this amazing. Because he had never had one this awesome –and that was saying a lot.

He finished with a content groan, leaning back and finishing off his coffee. Kora was practically instantly there, refilling his coffee with that same cheery smile at his nod.

"We make a mean apple pie, if you'd like to try?"

"I am so up for pie," he grinned at her.

"Great!" She smiled brightly, warm and genuine.

She was gone again, off to get him his pie and to serve the other customers. He glanced around, wondering if she was the only waitress on shift tonight or something. He caught sight of two other waitresses, both of them looking just as busy but not quite as tired as Kora. He took a drink of his coffee, wishing that he had ordered a beer instead but when she came up to him with that smile he hadn't been thinking of drinking alcohol but of kissing her. She had a great smile.

She returned with his pie, a heaping amount of whip cream that he suspected she had had something to do with, as well as a single maraschino cherry on top. She smiled sweetly at him and was gone again as a table down at the other end of the diner beckoned her. She was warm with them too, but he had the feeling that she had a barrier between her and them where she was a little warmer with Dean.

He dove into his pie with gusto, eager to eat it. He saved the cherry for last though, and with each bite he savored the rich flavor. It was awesome pie. He finished off the cherry last along with his coffee. Kora dropped the bill off with a torn piece of paper and he wasn't surprised to see neat numbers written on the back of it. As well as a listed time for when she got off her shift.

He ordered another coffee and she poured him a cup again, smiling warmly but he was sure that there was a nervous excitement between the two of them that he was not solely responsible for.

There was a crash behind them and Kora whirled. A beer bottle had fallen off and smashed and the table had gone quiet. One of the guys offered a slurred apology and Kora waved it away with her easy smile, bending down to clean up the mess carefully. She didn't even have gloves or a dustpan nearby, Dean started to his feet as she scooped up the larger pieces of glass. Dean saw the guy nearest the edge of the table look down at her.

The first and second buttons of her blouse were undone, most likely for comfort, not to try and draw attention to. There wasn't much to see as the buttons were high enough up that it wasn't worth the time to try and take a peek. If Kora noticed, she didn't react.

"Hey bitch ya missed a piece," one of the other guys sneered. A few around the table snickered. Kora stiffened and went back to picking the pieces up delicately, trying not to cut herself on them.

Dean had had enough, before they'd even started jeering. "Asshole," he growled, grabbing the bastard by his collar and shaking him a little. "Apologize."

"N-no it's okay," Kora tried to protest, to wave it off.

"It isn't," Dean growled. "You're doing your job and these _lowlifes_ don't need to make it any worse."

"I ain't fuckin' apologizin' to some bitch!" the guy argued.

Dean jerked him once more and he still didn't give up. Before he could start insulting Kora again, Dean punched him a few times. It shut him up, but not his friends and they started at Dean. Kora tried to move out of the way, and Dean kept the guys from getting to her. He went easy on them, but it probably didn't look like to anyone else watching as he took the drunks down easily enough.

He went back to the drunkard who had started the whole thing, dragging him out of the diner. His drunken friends followed woozily, stumbling along. They were all bleeding a little, but this asshole had a broken nose. Dean didn't care –he flung him out of the diner and his friends went rushing after him. He turned around back towards Kora.

She didn't look scared of him and he hoped that was a good sign. She smiled a little shakier than usual, a little less confident and he bent down to help pick up the remaining pieces. The diner was quiet for a moment or two longer before patrons started talking and the waitresses waitressing. Kora disposed of the shards and Dean followed her, doing the same. He spotted the blood on her sleeve and reached for her hand, stopping before actually grabbing it.

"Let me see?" It was anything but a demand.

Kora glanced at him, swallowing and turned her hand palm up so he could see the cut down her palm. He noticed just how pale of green her eyes were and he smiled comfortingly, looking down at the cut on her hand.

"A couple of stitches and you'll be just fine," he smiled reassuringly at her.

"You a doctor or something?" she laughed softly, her eyes still on his.

"Nah, just know a little about stitches."

"Med school drop-out?" she guessed, smiling wanly.

Dean laughed, "Yeah, sure."

If she wanted to believe he was in the medical school then he wasn't going to crush her dreams. Or hopes, whatever.

"T-then you could patch me up?" he was sure that he hadn't imagined the tremor in her voice.

"Yeah, no problem. Just uh, don't sue me if you get a scar or something…"

"I don't care about that. Just…"

"Uh yeah, no problem. Not at all."

"Can we do it now?"

"Sure." He wasn't quite so sure what the urgency was all about.

He led her out to the Impala; let her sit in the front seat as he pulled out one of the kits they carried around. He started stitching, slow and as gentle as he could be. She whimpered only once and never ever looked at him as he patched her hand up. It wasn't exactly common, to see that. He lightly kissed her fingertips, glancing up to see her reaction as he shut the first-aid kit. Kora hesitantly looked down at him, a light flush to her cheeks. She looked paler than she had earlier.

"Are you alright?" he murmured, shoving the first-aid kit underneath the seat.

"I'm fine… Thank you."

Dean smiled warmly, "My pleasure."

"So, uh, what should I call you? My knight in shining armor, or tall and handsome?"

Dean chuckled. "They both work. My birth certificate says I'm Dean Winchester though." She giggled at his comment, shaking her head.

"I'm Kora," she smiled sheepishly, glancing at her nametag. "It's nice to meet you. And thank you Dean, for everything."

"No problem." He smiled at her, starting the ignition. "My place or yours?" he glanced at her.

"Yours," she replied almost instantly.

"Whoa, you got a boyfriend or something you hidin' me from?" he teased as he flicked play.

"No, nothing like that." She smiled sweetly at him. "My place is just…" she paused, shrugging.

"Don't worry about it."

Kora smiled in relief. Usually chicks were all about the sharing and caring and he was kind of glad that he didn't have to listen to her boring life story. He just wanted to get a good night out of this. He would have to leave before tomorrow evening to get to where he was meeting Sam in order to get a move on for their next case. He'd ditched him at Bobby's, needing some time on his own with him worrying. Bobby knew why he'd left and although he most certainly had not agreed with his reasons, he'd agreed.

Dean pulled into the motel he was staying at and got out. Kora walked over to him, smiling softly, shifting slightly. There was a nervous edge to her movements, an electric excitement between them as he took her uninjured hand and led her to his room. She went with him contently, and he unlocked the door, flicking the light on for her.

"You're not staying long are you?" she inquired, looking at his packed bags and then back at him.

"No," he admitted honestly. He hadn't made any promises to her; there was nothing that she could hold against him for this.

She smiled softly, removing her apron and letting it fall to the floor. "Well, guess I'll just have to make the most of this?" there was a glint of amusement in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Oh no you don't," he said playfully, approaching her. "I get to undress you."

"Aw," she teased, "but I'm sure you've so many bodies they all look the same to you." She crossed her arms, head tilted to the side as she looked at him cheekily.

"Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them."

She bit her lower lip and lowered her arms. Dean kissed her softly, bringing their lips together. He was welcome for the distraction of having another body pressed up against his. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and he chucked it to the side as he worked on undoing her blouse. He nipped at her upper lip with just a quick brush of teeth and she parted them, welcoming him. She tasted sweet, like strawberries and he brushed his tongue against hers as he pushed her blouse off her shoulders.

Kora was already at work on his shirts, her soft palms pressed against his chest as she slid them up. Dean unclasped her bra with an effortless flick of his finger, shifting them closer to the bed as he tossed it aside. He pressed against her and she fell back with a soft squeak and he moved over her, his mouth on hers hot and demanding. They broke for air long enough so that she could get his shirt off, and he dug in his pocket for his wallet, grabbing a condom from it and setting aside. She ran her hands down his firm chest to his jeans, rapidly undoing them.

Dean undid her jeans as she started to push his down and he chuckled huskily. She seemed as in need of sex as he was. He shifted and pulled her jeans and panties down, tossing them off the end of the bed. Just as quickly she had his pants and briefs off and off the bed, smiling up at him. Dean kissed her passionately and she returned it eagerly, her hands running along his body as she eagerly explored.

He moved his hands along her body, soft ample flesh welcoming. She moaned lowly underneath him, eyelids fluttering. Her beautiful pale green eyes were on his though and he sucked a mark into her neck. She smelled faintly of some flowery scent, and a little like the kitchen she'd been working in doubt for the whole day. He nipped at her soft flesh, smirking as he felt her shudder and shiver beneath him while her hands glided along his body. He grabbed the package, ripping it open and was surprised when she took it from him. She rolled it onto him, kissing him soft and gentle.

He brought them together with a slow thrust of his hips and his name rolled off of her tongue. He crashed his lips against her, quickening the pace. She pressed her fingers into his back, moaning with him as she met every movement. Her soft, pleading moans drove them steadily towards release as euphoria settled over them. Breathless kisses were exchanged and she brushed her fingertips down his back, along faint scratches that he could hardly even feel.

They traded a few more lazy kisses before her legs were around his waist, pulling him deeper and he obligingly thrust with her. Kora moaned his name, tilting her head back and offering him access to her neck. He sucked and marked her as his even if it was only for this night. He held her a little tighter, shifting for a better position as she cried out his name in ecstasy. Her short, dull nails pressed in deeper as he brought blessed release for them. He left her gasping softly, shuddering beneath him in pleasure and he trailed lazy kisses along her neck.

She hummed in pleasure and he kissed his way back up to her lips. She was definitely a dancer. Slowly he moved off her and disposed of the condom before returning to the bed, he flicked the light off on his way. She shuffled over slightly, making a little more room for him.

"Uh…"

"It's fine, I'm on the pill." She smiled at him sleepily and kissed his cheek, pulling the blankets up.

He smiled at her softly and shook his head, exhaling. It was definitely nice to be away from Sam for some time and it was just what he needed too. Kora's back was to him, just barely touching him. He wondered if she did one night stands very often, because she didn't really seem the type. He idly set his hand on her leg and she set her hand over his lightly. She was beautiful and a nice person that she should have been able to have guy she wanted. But it wasn't for him to worry about who she was or wasn't with. He was leaving tomorrow.

He let his eyes shut and he slowly fell asleep. Sometime he was vaguely aware of her moving around, but she was quiet and quick and when he woke up in the morning she was gone. Apparently she had responsibilities of her own to get to. He was sorta sad to see that she was gone, in the way that he wouldn't have minded some goodbye sex. He sighed and stretched out.

* * *

><p><em>I wish I had my beta to tell me about this chapter. I'm trying to keep it real and everything, so I'm not sure what exactly I'll do with it. <em>

_After I hear back from my beta, or I get reviews I might completely review this chapter. I'm displeased with it..._

_Oh, and if the years are messed up with ages and seasons, I apologize. This chapter is set in Season 3. _

_Thank you Amaven for the help you offered; I hope this way it's still alright. :)_


	2. June '08

June 2008

"Hey Omyra! Get 110 cleaned up, we got customers."

"Right away," she replied, hastily heading into the room mentioned to start cleaning it.

She changed the sheets, not even worried about the stains anymore. She tossed them into the cart and grabbed the fresh ones she'd brought, making the bed. She brushed down the sheets, pulling the quilt over the first bed before making the second bed the same way. She grabbed the spray and sprayed the television screen, washing any dirt that might have been on it, off it. She grabbed a rag and some bleached water, hauling both over to the table and scrubbing the table down.

She got the vacuum out like everyday and cleaned the floor meticulously. It was one of the reasons why she still had this job. Which she needed desperately. She sighed and put everything away, dragging the sheets to the Laundromat next door to start getting them cleaned. It was no different than any other day. Except that today, she needed to have the sheets cleaned by three o'clock so that she could cover her shift at Sonata's.

Benedictine was a great woman; very compassionate especially with her circumstances but if she was late again this month she knew that her job could be at risk. Her other absences had been because Jerome had needed her here at the motel because his other full-time worker was out sick and he didn't have anyone to cover. And she needed the money –but both her workplaces paid the same amount. Depending, she might a little more at the diner because she could make more in tips but it wasn't enough.

As she sat perched on a stool, watching the sheets tumble around and glancing at her watch every so often she saw a man walk in. He was vaguely familiar, short brownish blonde hair and a tall build. Kora swallowed, watching him as he came in and opened up a washer, starting to dump his clothes in followed by some soap. He turned the dial and sat down on the seat nearest him. He was practically halfway across the room from her and she watched him shyly, trying to use the washer to keep out of sight until she was sure it was him.

He was wearing an old leather jacket and jeans. She had to smile to herself, she could remember removing them. It _had_ to be him. Dean Winchester, a man she'd met a few years ago. She glanced out the window and saw the unique car –she didn't know much about cars, but she knew that since she'd met him she'd never seen a car quite like his.

It was with a lot of nervous trepidation that she got to her feet and walked over to him. She hadn't expected to ever see him again in this little Wisconsin town again. He looked the same.

"H-hi," she said nervously, waiting for him to look at her.

He glanced up, bottle green eyes widening as he grinned. "Hey!"

She smiled warmly at him. "It's uh good to see you again, Dean."

Was it bad that she still remembered his name? It was a one-night stand. She hadn't had one of those since she was a teenager, except for with him, so maybe it wasn't so strange that she remembered it. His performance might have had something to do with that. He'd also made quite the impression for a first meeting, so she decided that no, it wasn't really that strange.

"Yeah, nice to see you too…?"

She smiled slightly, amused as she figured he didn't remember her name. "Kora." There wasn't a point in getting mad about it –it _was_ just a one night stand and she wasn't really one to stand out. "How long are you in town this time?"

"Couple days, give or take," he smiled warmly at her, checking her out.

She felt kind of stupid, standing there in her motel uniform. It was an ugly thing. A dark green shirt with the motel logo was over her blouse and she had a pair of faded jeans on. Her hair was probably a mess, frizzy with some strands fighting their way out of the braid she kept them confined in. She should have at least attempted to clean up and look a little presentable. Of course last time she'd met him she'd probably looked worse, in that filthy apron after working all hours.

"You wanna grab a cup of coffee or something?" He glanced at her, noticing the sweatshirt. "When you're off work?"

"I… would love to, but I can't. I-I'm working 'til midnight and then I've got…"

"I've got a concert that I've gotta check out, part of my job, it wouldn't be a problem to pick you up," he argued, smiling charmingly at her.

"I'm really sorry, tonight won't work," she smiled apologetically, really wishing she could spend some time with him before he left. She wasn't even sure why she wanted to, at that. She didn't know anything about him; aside from his name and that he was a drop-out medical student.

"That's too bad…" He paused. "Why don't I give you my number and you can call me when you're not so busy?"

"That would be great," she admitted, relieved.

He was good in bed, and she hadn't been with anyone half as decent as him since. If she was being completely honest she'd only hooked up twice since she'd met him. A part of her wanted to get to know him better but she wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to bring that up with this stranger. She didn't want to ask him why he was only staying for a few days in town, or what a concert had to do with his job. She doubted that he was a musician from the fact that he was doing his laundry in a Laundromat. There had to be something more to him, but she got the feeling that if she pushed too far he'd back off.

"You got a cell?" he asked, grinning at her.

She realized that she'd been staring and blushed faintly. "No, sorry…"

"You don't have a cell phone?" there was open incredulity in his voice.

"Um, no. Sorry."

"I-its alright," he smiled kindly, looking at her intently.

She held her hand out to him and he pulled out a pen, writing his number down on her hand. She giggled at that, simply because it was usually girls who wrote their number on the guys hand. It was an interesting reversal. She smiled once more at him and went back to check on her laundry, discovering that the sheets were dry and she had fifteen minutes to get across town to Sonata's. She grabbed the sheets and started folding quickly placing them in the bag and racing out of the Laundromat without so much as a goodbye to Dean.

She didn't really have the time to stop and say goodbye. She raced back to the motel, pushing the cart back to storage room before yanking the stupid sweatshirt off and grabbing her apron out of her empty locker. She called out to Jerome, telling him that she was leaving so that he at least knew what was going on even though he probably knew by now. Kora raced to Sonata's as fast as she could.

Good days started at eight in the morning and ended at seven at night. Bad days started at six and ended around midnight. Today was one of those days. She'd started at quarter to seven at the motel and now she had to go work at Sonata's until just about midnight. It was another long day. Between her two jobs she had several times a week where she would have a few hours off and if she had the energy, she would have spent those hours working somewhere. But she didn't. As it was, between both jobs she was just about exhausted.

It was her routine however, and she needed the money to pay her mother's medical bills. She didn't earn nearly enough to pay them off on her own, and her brother was in the same position she was in but between the two of them they had the bills covered. And that was what mattered. It didn't matter that she was living in a dangerous neighborhood, in a very small house that she was renting. It didn't matter that she was dead tired every night and she passed out almost immediately. It didn't matter that she didn't have enough time to really have a relationship with anyone other than her immediate family.

What did matter was that her mother was still alive and they weren't in debt. It was surely a losing battle though. A few years ago she had sold her house and started a second job, dropping out of college because she couldn't afford to go anymore. Her mother was still alive and she got to spend more time with her, before she passed away. That was what was important.

But things weren't looking so great anymore either, as her mother's condition had started to take a turn for the worst these last few days. She was still holding on but she was weaker than Kora could ever remember her being. She wasn't ready to say goodbye yet and before she could even come to terms with that possibility, she had to go to work. And so she went.

The last few years had all passed by in a blur. Everything was work, work, work.

By the time she got to Sonata's, nursing her leg painfully and hobbling in with her apron on. She was a minute late. That much late didn't matter and she started serving instantly. It was the afternoon and they were packed. She didn't have even a second to do anything about the growing pain in her leg as she took orders and served customers. She maintained a pleasant smile and demeanor with difficulty as she got more tired and the customers started to come in drunk and assholes were groping her and pinching her all the time.

She did what she could though, ignored it and worked away. By the time her break came her foot was a massive ache and she slowly massaged it. She'd be limping for the next few days. That was her punishment for rushing to work from the motel. She knew that she couldn't make it without this happening, but her job was important. She looked at her hand and realized in dismay that Dean Winchester's number was no longer legible.

A heavy sigh came from her as she tried to breathe and keep up with the even breathing lessons she'd learned on her own in order to lessen the pain and forget about it. There wasn't anything anyone could do to make it better. Just a reminder of some shattered hopes and dreams. She got back up, grabbed a cup of coffee and took a few welcome sips before she started working again.

When her shift was over it was midnight and all the buses were no longer running. And she didn't have enough cash on her to pay a cab. With a resigned sigh she realized that she was stuck walking home. She waved goodbye to the only people she could really call friends; her co-workers. She hobbled outside and started down the sidewalk.

It was about a twenty minute walk to her place and it was dangerous. She didn't have a choice in the matter though. She had to go home and there was no other option. When this had happened before, her leg hadn't been in this much pain. She could defend herself adequately and although she knew that she could have phoned Al and had her pick him up, she didn't want to disturb him. She knew that she would be fine. She'd been fine before.

She limped down the street, glancing at the sign and then crossing the crosswalk. The pain was a dull, constant companion every step she took. It wasn't an unfamiliar companion either, but it had been a long time since it had been this long. The only time it had ever been worse than this was when the injury had first happened, for the first six months or so.

She heard the low rumble of a car driving past her, the sleek black reflecting the streetlights back at her. She kept walking and belatedly realized that the car had stopped a few feet ahead of her. She groaned softly, praying that it wasn't some asshole who thought she was a prostitute. It wouldn't have exactly been the first time that that had happened to her either… She had refused his money and sent him off and he looked rightfully shamed. Just because she was walking around late at night, did not make her one. She certainly did not dress like one.

The car's window was rolled down and she would have kept on walking except for the familiar voice that called out to her. She froze, shuffling backwards to look into the car. Belatedly she realized that this was that unique classic car that Dean drove. She felt kind of silly for her earlier thoughts and smiled awkwardly at him. She hoped he wasn't expecting anything; she just wanted to go home.

"Where are you going this late Kora? It's dangerous out here."

"Home," she replied uncertainly.

"Can I give you a ride there at least? I'll feel a hell of a lot better."

"Y-yeah, that would… be nice." She opened his door and got into the passenger seat once more, buckling her seatbelt. She shifted her foot carefully, trying to get it comfortable. She would have to keep moving her foot so that the cramp wouldn't set in.

Dean smiled warmly at her, turning the heat up a little more for her as she rolled the window up. "Where do you live?"

"That is such a stalker question," she teased.

"Stalking isn't really my thing," he retorted amusedly.

"What is? Being a chivalrous gentleman that always saves his damsel just when she needs him?"

He took a moment to consider and chuckled, "Yeah that's it."

She told him her address anyways, not too concerned about him. He seemed like a good guy and he did have a legitimate concern. Besides, she'd been in the car with him before and he hadn't tried anything then. She exhaled softly, leaning back against the leather seat exhaustedly. She couldn't wait to go home and curl up in bed and pass out.

"So what were you doing out so late at night?" she murmured, letting her eyes fall shut.

"Working, I told you."

"What _do_ you do?" she opened one eye to glance at him.

"I'm ah, a journalist. I was interviewing some people."

"What's the story?"

He grinned, "Damsels –young defenseless damsels wandering the streets that known rapists roam."

Kora laughed despite herself. "I'm not that young."

"If you aren't more than twenty-four, then I'm an old man."

She laughed again. "I'm twenty five." He looked over at her with wide, disbelieving eyes and she laughed harder. "Hello old man."

He rolled his eyes with a smile, and turned back to the road, turning down onto her street. She hadn't realized they'd made the distance so quickly. The nice residential areas long behind them as Dean drove down the street, past dilapidated houses. Some of them looked like they were about ready to collapse. She pointed out hers; it was as old and hideous as the others but it at least appeared sturdy. She had never wanted to really test the theory of just how sturdy it was.

She glanced at Dean uncomfortably, trying to measure what he thought of it but she wasn't able to. He glanced at her as he pulled up into the driveway. It was a small duplex. Her part of the duplex was tiny, with one bedroom and a shared living room / kitchen area. There was a bathroom and laundry room side-by-side, both small. It was cheap though, cheap enough that she was able to rent the place and maintain her monthly payments. She'd only been living here for a few years, and it was why she hated people she knew to see where she lived. To see the conditions in which she lived daily.

"Thank you, for the ride and everything." She fidgeted nervously, unsure of what to expect. She had been mocked for living in this run down place and she'd been offered different places to stay, none of which were appealing. She wasn't going to be a burden to anyone else. She knew that if she cut down the payments going towards the medical bills that she could afford to live in a better place but she was not going to do that. It wasn't something that mattered to her. She had a place to stay, a roof over her head and running water and electricity. It was good enough for her.

"No problem," Dean smiled at her.

She wasn't sure what to make of that. "C-could I get your number again?" she asked, helplessly trying to delay when he left. "It didn't last long enough," she held her palm out towards him so he could see the ink smear she had instead.

"No problem, but maybe it would be a better idea to write it on some paper this time?" he laughed.

Kora blushed faintly and opened the door. "You can come in, if you'd like…"

Dean grinned at her and got out, locking the Impala before following her to the doorway. She unlocked the door and went inside, flicking on the kitchen/living room light. She tried to not look back at him and check his reaction out. She didn't exactly have time for that right now. She grabbed a notepad and pen from one of the kitchen drawers, turning around and practically bumping into him. She hadn't realized that he'd followed her.

He took the pen and paper from her, writing his number down gigantically. He smirked at her, signing his name underneath it. "You can phone me whenever. I mean it."

"Thanks," she smiled sweetly, setting the notepad by the phone.

"You're welcome."

Kora hugged him tightly, suddenly and she felt him momentarily tense before relaxing. She hoped that he wouldn't think of her differently because of where she lived. She was getting by and that was all that mattered. She was supporting her family and surviving just fine.

She missed being able to go out with either friends or for dates. It had been a long time since she had ever been on a date. Long enough that she couldn't even remember the last time. Dean went to leave and she surprised herself when she grabbed his hand.

"You could, stay the night, y'know if you don't have anywhere else to be? Or if you just need a place to stay? O-or something?" She figured that he could probably see through her but she didn't really mind. She wasn't specifically looking for sex, just companionship but if she slept with him, then at least she would have someone with her. For a time. She missed that.

"That'd be great."

Kora smiled shyly and laced her fingers through his, leading him towards her bedroom. She'd eaten when she was at work, like usual and she trusted that Dean had eaten before he had started working. She released his hand as they entered the room that was dominated by the double bed. There was only the bed and a closet that was a tight fit next to the bed. It was a very small house.

Kora smiled at him and he leaned down, kissing her. It was with a whimper that she jerked back, the cramp seizing her leg. She hobbled over to her bed, grabbing her foot and starting to massage it while Dean looked at her in confusion.

"You okay?" he sat down beside her.

"F-foot," she gasped out through the pain. It was agonizing, like usual. It felt as though there were three different spots, all seizing the muscle and wringing it tightly. "O-old injury," she panted, as she desperately massaged at the cramp, trying to work it out.

Dean reached over, gently moving her hands away as he started to firmly massage. It wasn't her foot that had seized, but just above her ankle. Within seconds he had reduced he had reduced her to a moaning heap as the cramp surrendered to him. She lay down on her back, her whole body slowly relaxing as the pain ebbed away. Dean chuckled softly as he continued, looking up at her.

"What happened?"

"I used to be an-an ice skater," she murmured softly. "When I was nineteen, I was practicing for the championships out on the lake and… the ice broke. I cut my leg up really badly…" she smiled bitterly. She could have gone to the Nationals. Maybe she wouldn't have been the best ice skater, she wouldn't have made a lot of money either but she _loved_ ice skating with a passion.

Her dreams had been completely shattered, broken by the one piece of news she had never wanted to receive. That she could never ice skate again. Well she could, with a lot of work but not for a prolonged period of time. She'd tried, once. It was the most painful thing she could have done. Her leg protested every movement and within ten minutes her leg was cramped and she had to crawl off the ice.

"It took a long time to heal and it'll never be… normal again," she mumbled softly.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He gently rubbed her leg, looking at her.

She smiled sadly, "Thank you," she whispered.

"How do you stand working so long, so much?"

"I have to," she pulled her leg away, curling up. She patted the spot next to her and Dean laid back.

"It's gotta hurt like a bitch though."

"Sometimes, I'm used to it though. There's just some days that are worse than others, like today. It doesn't usually cramp like that."

Dean brushed her hair back from her face, looking at her curiously. His green eyes met her and he kissed her softly. Kora was happy to kiss him back, sweet and tender. She could feel exhaustion hanging onto her limbs but she didn't want to let Dean go, to ask him to go away. His hand moved, gently caressing her sides as he kissed her softly.

Kora pulled back, tired. "I'm sorry Dean, I've got to work really early and I thought –"

"Shh," he murmured. "It's fine. Just get some sleep."

Kora looked at him dubiously, exhausted, she let her eyelids fall shut and sleep claimed her faster than it had ever done before. There was something in the way that Dean held her, his arm around her and his solid presence that was completely and utterly calming.

Kora didn't want to wake up. She didn't want to go to work; she just wanted to stay asleep. But she reluctantly opened her eyes, becoming aware of Dean once more and she smiled softly to herself. His arm was around her and she was pressed as close to him as she could get. They'd fallen asleep, both of them fully dressed. She smiled tenderly, admiring him.

She felt like such a school girl. She didn't want to leave, or for him to leave. It was comfortable like this, almost as though it were completely natural which was especially bizarre. She knew nothing about the guy, aside from what his name was and his car. She knew that he knew something about treating people, and she knew that whatever it was that he did was very transient. She knew that he drove a unique car and that he was a nice guy. That was all that she knew about him though, practically nothing.

He groaned softly, stretching as he woke up. "Morning," he murmured sleepily.

"Morning," she smiled softly.

She didn't have to go to work until ten o'clock at least. And if they were going to call her in early to work, she just wasn't going to hear her phone ring. She knew that she wouldn't have much time with Dean and she was loathing having any less time with him than possible. Again, as ridiculous as she felt that it was that she felt so strongly for him without knowing him she couldn't deny her feelings or persuade them away.

She got up and made him breakfast. Pancakes with strawberries and eggs. She didn't have any sausages, which she apologized to Dean for. He seemed surprised by the apology and she had confessed that he just seemed like the kind of guy who appreciated meat. She wasn't sure where she had drawn that conclusion from; it was just something that she felt she understood about him. When he told her that he was, she was stunned.

* * *

><p><em>What do you want to see happen? What don't you want to see? Did you like it?<em>

_I'm idea hunting at the moment. Let me know what you think please?_


	3. June '08 Distractions

Distractions

It proved to be very amusing when they went their separate ways. Dean went to the motel he was staying at and Kora went to work. However, Kora was working in the same building Dean was staying. They were able to spare a moment of laughter and eye contact.

Dean wasn't quite sure what to make of the coincidence, but he enjoyed it. He lingered in the motel longer than he otherwise would have. Sam was already out working on the case, not bothered by Dean's disappearance. It wasn't exactly uncommon anyways.

As far as they could tell it was just going to be a simple salt and burn and they could carry on. It was at least something to do other than worry uselessly about the seals that were breaking. Dean got up with a sigh after calling Sam and agreeing to meet with him at the hospital. A surgeon had screwed up, butchering his patient in the operating room and then had proceeded to cover it up along with the nurses. They'd buried the body and now the nurses and others who had been involved with the scandal were dying.

Dean locked their door and made his way past the front desk. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Kora. She looked pale, her eyes wide and her hand trembled as she held the phone close. He hesitated, watching her for a minute.

Kora numbly hung up, staring at the phone. She slowly turned to look at Dean and he saw the tears pooling in her eyes. What was wrong? She'd been fine this morning.

"J-Jerome," she stuttered. "I need the day off…"

"Omyra, I need you today you can't –"

Kora sniffled and rubbed at her eyes, looking at the man behind the desk. "Either I take the day off or I quit."

"Fine," he sighed. He grabbed the phone and dialed a number.

Kora made her way out past the desk, pulling the sweater over her head. She swallowed and looked down at her feet, looking lost and helpless. Dean reached over to put a comforting arm around her, uncertain and she threw herself at him, her arms around him as she started bawling.

He texted Sam that he wouldn't be able to make it. He didn't want to leave Sam to do the salt and burn alone, but he'd been hunting since he was a kid and he knew how to do it, still he didn't want Sam out there alone. So he sent him another one handed text telling him to hold off for a few hours and make sure they had everything. Lame ass excuse that Sam would no doubt see through but with Kora crying against him, clutching him he didn't figure he would have much of a chance at escaping to go and help Sam.

He took Kora to his room, wanting to help her calm down and get some privacy so that the workers and customers would stop staring at her. She burrowed closer to him whenever someone looked at her and he wondered if she was able to tell that they were looking at her or something. She walked with him; sniffling every so often they went to his room. He unlocked it and let her inside.

He rubbed her back soothingly as she shuffled inside and sat down hard on the bed. He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer; he twisted the cap off for her before offering the bottle to her. She looked up at him and smiled weakly, taking the bottle welcomingly. She pulled the cap off and took a slow drink from it. Her hands were still shaking and she twisted the cap back on.

"My mother… She just passed away," she murmured quietly, staring at the beer bottle. Dean sat beside her and she leaned against him heavily. "I-I didn't even… I didn't say goodbye… I mean, I knew it was coming just… I d-didn't think it'd be this soon, you know?" she scrubbed at her eyes, a sob on the tip of her tongue. "She is –was –sick with cancer. We knew… We knew, oh god, I should have said goodbye!"

And just as Dean thought the sobs would come, they didn't. Kora exhaled shakily, rubbing more determinedly at her eyes. The tears were stopping.

"You can cry you know," he murmured sympathetically. He rubbed slow circles on her back and she just lay limply against him, her cheeks damp from tears.

"It's… She's gone… and I'm sorry, y-you barely know me and –"

"It's okay, really." Even if he should be dealing with a ghost, clearly she needed him right now.

"C-could you hold me then, j-just for a while?" she looked up at him shyly, hesitant and she almost seemed to be expecting him to reject her.

He wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her close as he lay down next to her. She pressed close to him, hiding her face against his chest. He felt her smaller body shudder and shake with her tears as they fell silently. Occasionally he could hear her sniffle or inhale, and gradually she shuddered less and seemed to calm down. His hand was still on her back, rubbing soothing circles as she remained close to him. He realized with a start that she was asleep and smiled tenderly, pulling the blanket up and over them both.

He hadn't expected to end up cuddling with her, but it wasn't that terrible. She needed the comfort and there was something about being close to her that was just relaxing. He gently brushed her hair aside.

He had thought last night that he was going to get laid, not end up falling asleep. But in the morning he hadn't regretted it either. It was the first time in a long time that'd he had slept soundly without nightmares of hell assaulting him. He had been disappointed that he didn't get to sleep with her, but overall it wasn't so bad. He got a free homemade breakfast out of their arrangement as well, and that was delicious even though he didn't get any meat with it.

Dean stopped rubbing circles on her back, moving his arm over her side to hold her a little closer. She needed someone right now, pretty badly. She worked two jobs and he doubted that she took days off. He wondered if she even had anyone who could help support her through this. She would have to go eventually and deal with the issue, but he didn't really want to leave her to deal with it alone. Unless that was what she wanted, but he had the feeling that she didn't.

He sighed softly. She was supposed to have just been a good lay, and she was, but there was just something about her. Which sounded gay as hell. He rested his hand on her thigh, feeling the firm muscle under it. He remembered thinking that she had to have been a dancer; he hadn't expected her to have been an ice skater let alone a cripple.

When she'd told him about her accident, he could see the pain in her eyes. He couldn't imagine being pained by an old injury to the point where it was incapacitating. He'd been in plenty of situations where the pain had nearly forced him to stop the hunt, but they'd healed fine. Aside from his death and the scars of hell, his old injuries never pained him. Everyday her leg had to ache and she had to be mindful of it. A young woman in her prime and she was saddled with that much to worry about.

He wasn't going to tell her about hunting and burden her further. After the case was done, he was going to leave this town and not come back. She would be better off that way, he knew. And it would a lot healthier for him to stay away. The whole situation was dangerous. He didn't know what there was about her that drew him to her so completely, but he was going to have to fight it. For her benefit.

She stirred slowly, not even an hour away, blinking blearily up at him. She smiled softly, tenderly, her eyes lit up with the same warm genuineness that she always had. He could tell when she remembered why she was here, with him, when her smile faltered and she glanced away. Her arms went around him and she murmured a low apology.

"It's fine, really," he reassured her.

He hoped that Sam had listened to him for once, that he wasn't getting himself killed while he spent some time with her. Sam had been acting even more stubborn and difficult since Cas had brought Dean back once more. He'd had it planned for a while, if Andrea really was the assassin. He had guessed that she had something above her head and he didn't regret what he'd done but he could tell that Sam was still holding it against him. He hadn't mentioned Marissa and when Dean had brought it up; Sam had blown up and walked out of their motel room. He wasn't gone long or for very far, but he had coldly informed Dean to not talk about the traitor again.

He felt sorry for Marissa, with Sam ignoring her and going off with Ruby. Despite his attempts to stop them, it hadn't been working too well. He didn't know for sure what the bitch was doing, but it wasn't good. And as soon as he could he would save Sam whether or not he let him.

"I wish I knew more about you," she murmured, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Same," he teased.

"This is going to sound pretty lame," she admitted, glancing at him as she sat up. "Why don't we play twenty questions?"

"Really?" he asked incredulously.

"I mean, I ask you something about yourself and you answer and then you ask me and I'll answer you. Sure it's lame but… I want to get to know you and you want to get to know me…"

Dean chuckled. "Sure, only if I get to go first and only if we get a couple passes."

"Oooh, you have deep dark secrets huh? But okay, that's fine."

If her mother hadn't passed away and he wasn't feeling so sympathetic, he wouldn't have agreed to the game. His only hope was that she didn't ask him about his job or much about his family, part of the reason why he had wanted to go first. And although the game was lame, it was cute in that lame way and he was pretty sure she was the only one who could successfully pull that off.

"So… do you have any siblings?"

"I have an older brother, Alejandro. You?"

"Younger brother," he smiled. "What's your brother like?"

"He's really gentle and very protective of me. I used to get bullied a lot and he'd go around beating the kids up," she laughed softly. "He just wanted to keep me safe. What's your brother like?"

"Sam's… sensitive."

Kora smiled warmly. "Al's six years older than I am."

"Sam's four years younger," he offered, even though she hadn't asked. She could have, but it wasn't that big of a deal. "Did your brother teach you how to defend yourself?"

"No, but my father did. Where did you learn how to fight?"

It took him a moment before he remembered that when he'd first met her he had had to beat some sense into a couple of douchebags. "My dad taught me, he was a marine."

"Was?"

"He passed away a little over a year ago. Heart attack," he smiled slightly to show her that it was alright. "What did your dad do?"

"He was a local cop… I don't know what he does now though, he uh, took off and abandoned us."

"Geez, I'm sorry."

"It's fine; it was a long time ago. I was nine when he left; it hurt Mom and Al the worst. I didn't understand…"

"Do you have one-night stands often?" he inquired, trying to get them away from the mournful questions.

"Not since I was a teenager, really… Do you?"

"I did. So you slept around as a teenager?"

"I was adventurous. Why not get a girlfriend?"

"I'm never in one place long enough. Have you ever kissed a girl?"

"Yeah, it was a game of spin the bottle." She laughed. "No, I don't like girls and I don't plan on doing it again. What do you do for a job?"

"Pass. What kind of a teenager were you?" He wished he'd known some girls like that.

"I was the kind that for her first time ended up in the back of a pick-up truck for a 'roll in the hay'."

"Wow, that's bad."

"I was fifteen."

"Yeah I was for my first too…"

"What was your first time like?" she looked at him curiously.

Well that was a strange question… "Well it was… quick. We were in the back of the Impala, it was… quick." There wasn't much else to say.

Kora chuckled softly and snuggled close to him. "What're your parents' names?"

"John and Mary…."

"Harold and Gabriella."

"You ask some pretty weird questions," he murmured, settling his hand on her lower back.

"I told you I wanted to get to know you."

"Every gory detail?"

"No, not all of them…. You'll always have secrets but what aren't your secrets I would love to know."

"You don't want to know the secrets too?" he looked at her teasingly.

"I do, but I get the feeling that if I… tried to pry them out of you, you'd be gone before the night was out."

Dean rubbed her back gently. She knew him pretty well considering that she didn't know him at all. He watched her curiously, wondering if she was just that good or if it was something else entirely.

"So… have you ever been in love?" she murmured quietly.

"Once," he replied cautiously. "You?"

"Never. Not ever," she smiled softly. "I wonder what it's like…"

Was she trying to get him to talk about his feelings or something? He wasn't entirely certain and decided that he just wasn't going to say anything at all.


	4. June '08 Relationships

Relationship

Kora woke up sometime later to discover that Dean had left her. He was gone, quiet and sudden and she didn't know what to make of that. She supposed that it was too much to ask for, to really expect from a man she hardly knew. So she let him go and took the week off work from her both jobs and she went home. She took a long soak in a hot bubble bath and thought of everything except Dean Winchester.

She met her brother and was completely useless, instead falling apart on him. Al comforted her and took over the funeral arrangements so she wouldn't have to deal with any choices. She spent a few days at his house, basking in human comfort and presence and trying to forget Dean.

Three days before the funeral, she found herself awake at ten o'clock, clutching Al's phone as she waited for him to pick up. She wasn't sure why she had phoned him. She could have handled things on her own, that much she knew. But he had given her his actual number, and she really did like him. More than she should, but she doubted that he felt the same. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when he picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he mumbled gruffly. He didn't sound tired, maybe a little drunk.

"Dean?" she asked hopefully.

There was a silence for what felt like forever. "Yeah."

"It's Kora…"

"Yeah," he seemed to sigh.

"I-I… I-I'm sorry to phone like this, but… would you be willing or even able to come back? Just for Friday? I-it's…" she had to stop to swallow in order to keep herself composed. "It's my mother's funeral and I… I would really appreciate it if, if you would come…"

She probably sounded so lame and needy to him. She wouldn't be surprised if he turned her down, it was kind of reasonable all things considered. They barely knew each other and their initial meeting was based entirely on sex and she was trying to change that and he was probably only interested in that. He wouldn't even tell her what his job was. If he couldn't trust her with that, then there really was nothing she could do about it except prove herself and… Well, what did it really matter?

"Sure, I'll come. How long do you need me?"

She had to smile at that. How long did she need _him_? For a long time. "The funeral's at four," she murmured softly. His choice now.

"I'll meet you at the motel?"

"Whatever works for you."

"Okay, uh… see you then?"

"Yeah… and Dean?" there was an inviting silence. "Thank you."

He hung up after that with just the briefest farewell. Kora went to bed and slept through the night. She wondered what it was about Dean that was so soothing. She liked his lips, full, pouty and so very kissable. She liked his eyes, green twinkling with amusement. She liked his firm, toned body and the way it fit so perfectly against hers. She liked his hands, big rough hands that were perfect for holding her. She liked how he kept to himself, sharing trivial information as much as she wanted to know more. She didn't want to force it out of him, to take away any genuineness of what he told her when he trusted her. She didn't know why he wouldn't, but she was willing to wait because he would come around eventually. She loved how he held her close, how he made her feel so safe and valued and relaxed. How he helped her feel loveable and wonderful. She loved him.

It was with that realization weighing on her shoulders that she went to the motel to wait for him on Friday. It was a Friday like any other, except that Kora was wearing black dress pants with a black blouse and her hair was not simply braided back but tied up intricately. Which had nothing at all to do with Dean picking her up. She had forgone all attempts at make-up, expecting to cry and as horrible as she looked while crying she at least wouldn't have runny make-up smears along her face. It wasn't much but at least it was something to help her look a little better.

She didn't know what she was feeling. She was happy to be in love, for the first time. She was miserable that she would never be able to tell her mother about him. She was grieving the loss of the woman who she had been looking after for so long, the woman who made her smile without even trying and who knew what she was trying to say better than anyone else. Someone who had been able to understand her and relate to her effortlessly. She missed her mother, the woman who had given birth to her and whose smile could light up a room.

It wasn't anything close to when her father had run off. This, losing her mother forever, was a lot worse than having lost him. She didn't understand, back then and now, why he had left. Her mother had not left them by choice; she was simply gone. And she wasn't going to come back either.

Kora smiled weakly when the sleek black Impala pulled up to the motel and she went outside. She was surprised to see Dean dressed up in a very professional looking suit. She'd only ever seen him in a leather jacket and jeans. She smiled nervously as she sat in the passenger seat, feeling a little under dressed compared to him. Dean smiled fleetingly at her, glancing away as he pulled out of the gravel parking lot.

Kora gave him directions to the funeral home and Dean drove her there. She thanked him for having come and he waved it off as they got out and headed inside. She went to Al first, hugging him tightly. She didn't want to have to deal with friends and family, not really, at least not on her own. Al hugged her back tightly, his eyes on Dean questioningly. She hadn't told anyone about him, because at the time there hadn't been a need to. She really hadn't been expecting him to even be willing to come, but he had surprised her and had come.

Kora smiled weakly when he released her and turned to Dean, reaching for his hand. He sidestepped her and smiled charmingly. "I'm Dean Winchester, a friend of Kora's."

Al glanced at her and then back at Dean. "I'm glad to see that she has someone here to support her…" Al looked at her questioningly and she smiled softly.

"Well, let's go…"

They went inside and sat down at the front when everyone was gathered. She was seated between Dean and Al, leaning against Dean comfortably. He was unable to move away, if he wanted to, as he was squished between her and the fellow on his other side. The slideshow started then, happy pictures that she remembered. She laughed sadly at some of them, remembering them and the stories fondly. She glanced at Dean, and he squeezed her hand supportively. And the slideshow was over and family and friends came up to speak fondly about the deceased. It wasn't very religious, which reflected her family very well.

Kora was crying at the end, like many others were. She wasn't bawling though, or even sobbing. She felt… oddly better. Dean held her close as many others got up and left, waited outside. Kora followed them out, holding onto Dean's hand.

"Kora?" it was a man's voice, mild and slightly familiar. Kora tensed immediately, turning around to look at the man.

He smiled pleasantly. It had been years since she had seen him; his light brown hair was cut short and it was silver at the temples. He had the beginnings of a beard, dark scruff mottled with gray and silver and laugh lines etched around his mouth. He was just shorter than Dean, and a little wider considering his belly. That was something he had never had, for when Kora remembered him.

"D-dad?"

"H-hey," he smiled slightly.

Kora took a few steps back, closer to Dean. If she could have, without seeming rude, she would have hidden behind him.

"How're you?" he inquired.

"I-I… Dad… where –no, why are _you_ even here?"

"I did love her." He seemed to look a little contrite.

Dean squeezed her hand lightly, watching him.

"And we were all broken hearted when you left," Kora argued.

"L-look I'm sorry, I really am."

"Sorry doesn't exactly make it better." She hesitated suddenly, really looking at him. She had missed him and he was still her father… She'd lost her mother and found her father. She wasn't sure why she had to fight him, not right now. She knew that she most certainly didn't want to.

"I met someone else Kora, I fell in _love_ –"

"That makes it better?" she hissed, her eyes filling with tears. "You left us, you broke mom's heart –she loved you too! And you did all that for someone else, because what? We weren't enough?"

"No it's –it's not like that at all –"

"I think you should go," Dean said flatly, pulling Kora against him.

He looked hesitant and conflicted and reluctantly he turned away and left. Kora hugged Dean tightly, breathing deeply. It wasn't long after that that they were heading to the graveyard for the burial and from there to home. Except apparently that wasn't what Dean wanted, because he detoured and pulled into a nearby park. She hadn't been aware that he was quite so knowledge about the town –she glanced at him, smiling slightly.

"Let's go take a walk, breathe a little?" he inquired as he shut the Impala off.

Kora nodded and got out. Dean put his arm around her waist and she leaned into him welcoming, smiling adoringly up at him. He seemed to know what she needed when she didn't even know. They didn't speak, not for a long time as they just walked. Kora pulled away after a while for comfort, her fingertips brushing against his as they walked. Neither of them lingered long to really appreciate nature as Kora remembered her mother and her father and tried to figure out what she was feeling. What she was even going to do if she saw him again and was unable to find an answer. She didn't really want to think about it either.

Dean seemed just as content as she was to walk without speaking. Neither of them felt the need to say anything, to disturb the silence between them. Her thoughts were becoming a tornado of voices and she pushed them away and held Dean's hand. She was just going to enjoy this moment, here and now and forget about everything else. She didn't want to ruin this day anymore than she already had.

His initial reluctance from earlier in the day appeared to have worn off and he led her to a park bench. She hadn't even realized that she had begun to shift her weight to her good leg as her old injury gave a twinge and she was already sitting down before she even knew it. Dean patted her shoulder comfortingly before leaving. Kora stared out across the lake as the wind blew gentle ripples across it, a cool breeze wafting past her. She shivered a little and smiled tenderly, watching nature as the sun sank a little lower in the sky.

"Here," Dean said gruffly, holding an ice cream cone out to her. "I hope strawberry's alright."

Kora beamed at him, taking the strawberry ice cream cone. "It's my favorite," she murmured.

Dean sat down beside her with his vanilla cone, their shoulders touching as they stared out at the lake together. They sat like that for a long time, contently eating their sweet treat. Despite the cooling temperature, Kora didn't mind at all. There was just something about Dean.

Kora ate a lot slower than Dean, so although he was working on eating the cone she was still licking at the ice cream when there was a lot of splashing and yelling. From the corner of her eye she saw a man calling out, desperate as his dog ran unheedingly straight for them. It wasn't until the dog was a couple of feet away that she realized it was sloshing wet. It raced past their bench, dragging its owner along and Kora was trying to move back and out of the dog's way when, as per her clumsiness, the last of her ice cream rolled from the cone and directly onto Dean's lap. He flung the remains away, smearing a streak of the milky sustenance down his black dress pants.

"Oh my god I am so sorry!" Kora grabbed the napkin, offering it to Dean who attempted to wipe the stain away.

If that was the worst thing that happened, Kora might have thanked God for his compassion. However, the unleashed dog was just having a great time and seemed to have forgotten about the couple seated on the bench as it leaped over the garbage can and straight onto their laps with a startled bark before it was off again, bounding into the water. The only thing that was really good about the situation was that she wasn't wearing anything white that mud could completely ruin. As it was, it was bad enough. Dean tossed his cone out, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Y-you can come wash up at my place, I'll clean your pants," she offered pathetically, looking at him hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah that'd be great actually."

"I'm so sorry," she added.

"It was an accident," he reminded her with a faint smile as he got up, offering her his hand. She took it shyly, blushing as he pulled her to her feet. He put his arm around her waist and she put hers around his neck, glad for the relief for her leg.

They headed back to the Impala and from there he drove to her house. Kora started the washer up, glad that his dress pants didn't require a dry cleaner's because this way he was in her house. And she wouldn't have to be alone for much longer. She took his pants, putting them in. He was left in his suit and jacket with his fancy tie and briefs.

She smiled playfully at him and lightly grabbed him by his tie. He smirked at her, refusing to be led around as he tugged her close to him, pressing their mouths together. Kora worked on undoing his tie, flinging it aside as their tongues met in a battle for dominance. As quickly as she had removed his tie, he had undone all of the buttons on her blouse and was backing her towards her bedroom. She'd almost forgotten that he had been in her house before.

She had his jacket and shirt off at the same time that he had her blouse, bra and skirt off. Not that it was a race or anything. Her legs hit the back of the bed and he lightly pressed against her, moving over her as she laid back. They both moved up the bed until her head was against her pillow, his lips marking her as his while he pulled her underwear off. She pushed his off with him, gasping softly as he trailed his kisses lower, his hands gliding along her body. Kora set her hands on his shoulders, slowly dragging them down and pressing them against his chest as she felt the firm muscle there. She smiled at him, hooking a leg around his waist and pulling him closer. He obliged her silent request with a smirk and a husky chuckle, kissing her passionately as he thrust into her.

He swallowed her moans as he moved with her, and they broke apart for a breath of air. Her hands were on his back once more, seeking something to hold onto as her whole body trembled and shook with the pleasure of them. Dean slowly brought them towards euphoria, his touch and his whispered voice tender and sweet and promising something he couldn't keep. Kora was breathless beneath him, smiling lovingly up at him. He smiled back, just as tender and caring before kissing her soft and slow.

* * *

><p>Bonus Scene<p>

Dean got into the Impala, smelling like strawberries and regretting having showered at Kora's. It probably would have been better if he'd just left it until he got to the motel but he didn't really want to have to deal with Sam's shit again. They had agreed to meet in this town before they headed off again, and Sam had texted to let him know that he was in town. Dean was frustrated enough by that alone, but it was worse that now he would be meeting up with his brother smelling like a _chick_. And that was not because of the sex.

He'd snuck out on her once again. He grabbed his phone, quickly pulling her number up and putting it on the blocked list. He couldn't come back here, not again. He would be putting her at risk if he did and he wasn't going to let that happen. She didn't need to deal with demons or a monster attacking her. Her life was rough enough without him screwing it up for her.

He drove to the motel and got in, not bothering to be sneaky about it. The motel was a different one from the one that Kora worked in –he had made sure that he wouldn't run into her again. They'd be gone in about three hours, around eight or so.

"Dean?" Sam asked. He was sitting on one of the beds, his laptop open.

"Yeah?" he asked tiredly as he walked past Sam's bed, flopping onto the other.

"Dude... you reek like strawberries." Sam chuckled, shaking his head.

"Yeah I know alright! I smell like a friggin' chick," Dean grumbled.

Sam only laughed harder.

"Bitch."

"Least I don't smell like a girl."

"At least I get laid." He smirked triumphantly.

* * *

><p><em>I couldn't think of a way to really add that scene in, so it'll just float right where it is or now. <em>

_I would like everyone to know that I have realized I made an error in stating this as 2009. It is 2008, in season four that these chapters have happened, so I have changed them to say 2008 now. Also, there were two questions I forgot to include in the last chapter so I have now added them. Please read the end of the twenty questions again. _


	5. December 2010

December 2010

Dean sighed as they pulled into Bobby's place. They were taking some time off from running around after Satan in order to just… try and relax. Bobby had called them down so that they would be forced to take a break, under the ploy of needing help on a case. At first Sam and he had argued about it with Bobby, but after the old guy had called them idiots a few times and reminded them that they were still human they had agreed to stay for a week or so. It wasn't ideal, but they _were_ both exhausted. And it was almost Christmas, not that they'd ever really bought into that whole thing but spending time at Bobby's was as close to home as they were going to get.

"Dean," Bobby called curtly.

"Yeah?"

"Take this," Bobby shoved a turkey into his hands. "And go to 3414 on Applebee Street and give it to the young mother there."

"Why?"

"She needs some help and it won't go unappreciated. She's been living here awhile, I just ran into her awhile ago and I just want to make this season a little easier for her. Once you see her you'll understand."

"Uh, sure, I guess," Dean muttered under his breath as he threw his coat on and went outside.

It was weird, Bobby wanting him to go help out some random chick, but it wasn't that far out of his way. He didn't take the Impala, simply walking the five minutes it took to get into Sioux Falls and then finding the street. That took longer than he'd expected but the walk wasn't that unpleasant and he made his way down the houses. All of them were adorned with Christmas decorations, as per the season.

The house he was heading to however had a set of snow angels and a snowman on the front lawn. He paused, double checking the address before walking up to the house, avoiding the snow angel, he rang the doorbell. He moved the turkey from underneath his arm to hold it in his hands. It was a pretty big turkey. He was about to ring the doorbell again when the door opened and the screen unlocked. He could see a blonde head through the fogged screen but not beyond that.

"Bobby Singer sent me to deliver a turkey?" he stated, hoping that she would want the turkey.

Slowly the screen door opened and he shifted, catching it behind his shoulder. He froze when he saw the young mother that Bobby had said. She smiled slightly, less warm and less genuine than he had ever seen her before.

"Kora? W-what're you doing here in Sioux Falls?"

"I'm living here, Dean." She sighed. "And you just show up everywhere. How do you even know Mr. Singer?"

Dean gave a start at that. He was pretty sure that in his entire life he had never heard _anyone_ call Bobby Mr. Singer. "He's family," he replied, defensively. What had happened to the fun Kora?

There was a crash in the background and he saw her cringe and practically fall apart right there. "Liam!" she called, turning away. "Liam I told you…" she glanced back at Dean and hesitated. "Just, just come in then," she headed off down the narrow hall towards the living room.

Kora groaned softly, bending down to gather up the remains of a glass cup. There was a little boy with white blonde hair sitting in a highchair. With a giggle he looked over at Dean, dimples flashing impishly. Kora threw the glass into the garbage, grabbing a small broom and dust pan, sweeping up anything that she might have missed.

"Hey," Dean said awkwardly. He glanced at Kora, subtly checking to see if she was wearing a ring. She wasn't and h was surprised at how relieved he felt because of that.

The little boy, Liam, grinned and waved.

Kora stood up, looking at Liam and then over at Dean. She smiled faintly and helped the little boy out of his chair. Dean realized that his complexion was darker than Kora's, just by a shade or two and his hair was brighter than hers. Green eyes looked in his direction and he felt panic surge forward as he realized that those eyes were the same color that his were and he could see that the little guy looked like him too, in other ways. The shape of his lips and nose.

Kora carried him over to the living room, setting him down with some toy cars. There was only a small section where toys were and there was a basket nearby which was piled with some dinosaurs and army men. He made car noises and contently raced two cars and Kora returned to the kitchen, looking at Dean warily. He didn't miss the way that she favored her leg, or the way that she shuffled around rather than walked. She carried herself almost completely different too.

"So I… haven't heard from you in a while," he said, aiming for conversation.

"That would be because you blocked my number. That would be why you didn't know about the pregnancy, or the gender, or the birth or that I had moved. Because you blocked my number. So yes, Dean, you haven't heard from me and I'd given up on expecting to see you again."

He cringed. He had forgotten that he'd done that. And when he had, it had been for her benefit. "W-wait… Pregnancy…" He looked back towards Liam.

"Liam Jonathan Winchester," Kora murmured softly, her arms crossed. "Your son, Dean."

Oh god. He'd… He had left her to do this on her own. Not intentionally, if he'd known he would have been there but he hadn't. She'd been working two jobs with no days off, and hardly making enough money for all the hours she worked. And she had been raising Liam, on her own too. She had every right to kick his ass right now. To beat him and kick him out of her house.

"Oh, god, Kora I'm –"

"Don't you dare," she cut him off. "Say you're sorry. I tried. I tried for three months and for the first six months, every major milestone. I gave up –you had your reasons for leaving and blocking me, so that's fine. I understand, believe me I do. I know we weren't… like a couple, but…" she shrugged.

Dean looked at her apologetically. He really hadn't thought this one through. He wondered how much Bobby knew, if maybe this was the reason that Bobby had really called them to Sioux Falls. But there wasn't anything he could do for her; he didn't have a job or any money or medical insurance. He couldn't support himself legally, let alone anyone else and he didn't want to risk involving her in their usual scams.

"I… didn't want anything to happen and I thought… it would have been better if I left," he admitted. "I'm sorry, for that. That you've had to do this, on your own you know."

"I'm not on my own," she stated. "I'm living with a guy, he's a nurse. I stay at home now, to look after Liam. I met him after Liam was born and we moved here, end of story."

Dean nodded awkwardly. Of course he was too late. Too late in finding her, too late in saving Sammy… Just, too late. He wasn't comfortable, leaving things like this between them, with Liam.

"His middle name, Jonathan?"

"I remember, you said your dad's name was John. And I was… I thought you might show up. Last minute, kind of thing, but you didn't. And I naively thought that afterwards, I might still run into you and… It didn't seem right. So I named him after your father, I don't know if I had any right or-or anything but… Was… that okay?"

Dean wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She still smelled like strawberries and he had to smile despite everything. She felt a little thinner than she had the last time though –he thought he'd forgotten hat stupid stuff but apparently not. He had tried to, many times, to forget about her.

"Yeah, yes, it was fine. It's perfectly fine," he murmured, just holding onto her. It was a few moments before she finally relaxed into his grasp. "Kora, I am so sorry, really…"

"I know," she mumbled quietly.

He was a little shocked that she had remembered that about his father. It was too much. That he had a son, that he had neglected. Woefully neglected. That she had been trying to contact him, to let him know and he had forgotten about blocking her number. And despite all that, she had named his son after his father.

"How long are you in town?" she pulled away from him, glancing over her shoulder at Liam.

"A week," he murmured. "I come back here pretty often though." He followed her gaze to Liam; the little tyke was racing his cars up the wall.

"You're… You _are_ his father, and um, if you want to… you can spend some time with him? While you're here. I mean, I… I've wanted to tell you this for some time."

Dean looked at her, amazed at how compassionate and forgiving she was being. He had abandoned her and she was willing to give him time, precious time with his son. It would have been weirder to think of him that way, but Liam was just so… He'd also spent some time thinking of Ben that way, wondering for days but Lisa had said he wasn't. Liam was his son though, and even though he didn't deserve it, he felt just a little proud to know that he had a kid. Even if he didn't have a right to call him that. He could have just been a sperm donor.

"Thank you Kora, thank you." He knew he didn't deserve it, not with how he had treated her. Not with how he had abandoned her.

Kora smiled, warm and genuine just like he remembered despite the sadness he saw behind her eyes. "Joe won't be back until four, you-you could stay for a few hours and… get to know him."

"I'd like that."

She took the turkey from his hands and directed him to the living room as she went to go and put the bird away. Dean approached the little guy as he drove his cars all around.

"Could I play?" he asked, smiling softly at Liam.

"Yea," he grinned at Dean.

He held out the black Honda in his hand to him and Dean took it. Liam eagerly made race car noises, seated on his hands and knees as the whole carpeted floor was his racetrack. With a tender smile of his own Dean 'revved' his engine and raced his son. When he caught sight of the car that Liam was driving, he swore his heart just about stopped. It was a white Impala, a model replica that must have cost someone a fair few bucks. He let Liam win and watched as the little guy celebrated his own victory. With a chuckle Dean congratulated him as well, letting him high five him.

They raced cars until Liam was yawning and Kora came and picked him up, carrying him off to bed. There was an hour and a half gone already and Kora had a cup of hot coffee waiting for him at the kitchen table. He smiled slightly at the pie that was sitting there for him and wondered how he had gotten so lucky to meet someone like her. She was amazing.

Kora came back downstairs not too long after, smiling softly at Dean. "The Impala's his favorite, you know," she remarked, picking up the scattered toys and returning them to the basket with the other toys.

"Really?"

"Al saw you leave, I guess, from the funeral? Well… he was quite enthused about it and I was still kind of hung up on you and so he bought it for him. That's of course, until we realized that likely you would never know and you would never speak to me again."

He didn't say anything in his defense; he knew that he deserved it. "I'm glad he has it, it seems… right."

Kora smiled brightly at him and took a bite of her pie. Dean finished his piece and his coffee off surprisingly fast.

"He's got quite the imagination, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Kora replied distractedly, glancing at time. "Dean, I hate to ask you to leave but… Joe's going to be home soon and I'd rather you… not meet today? I'll phone Mr. Singer tomorrow and arrange something, okay?"

"Definitely," he agreed. He wasn't going to push to spend any more time here if he wasn't wanted. And he had the rest of the week anyways.

They got up and Kora hugged him awkwardly, he could feel her tighten her hold on him and he hugged her back too. She was amazing and he was very lucky.

"Hey, your hair's undone…"

Kora cringed away from him and touched it self-consciously. "Y-yeah…" she mumbled.

Dean gently brushed a few strands behind her ear. "You look good," he replied, trying to undo whatever harm his comment had done to her.

"Thanks…" she shied away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded. "Bye."

And just like that, he was leaving again back to Bobby's. He couldn't believe it. Well, he could. But it was almost too good to be true. He had a son. A son whose life he could be apart of. Or try to be. Bobby would be able to look after her, without really looking after and make sure they were safe. They would be close and Dean wouldn't see them everyday or even live with them. He didn't have to, but he would know that they were safe. And that was the most important thing.

Dean entered the house, taking his shoes and jacket off, spirits soaring.

"What took ya so long idjit?" Bobby demanded. "You better not have slept with that girl."

Dean hesitated for a second, an unintentional smirk spreading across his face. "Well that depends on if you mean now, or before."

"Before… Damn it boy!"

"Well, I saw her a couple of times, and I… lost contact with her."

"You're the daddy aren't ya?"

"You knew that before now," he protested weakly, trying to avoid it.

"Course I did."

"She tell you?"

"Anyone could tell by seeing that kid."

Dean smiled slightly. "She's pretty amazing; she'll let me keep in contact. She wants me to, you know because I am…"

"That girl's too darn kind for her own good to put up with what she does. Why didn't you bring her here?"

"What? Why would I?"

Bobby looked at Dean disbelievingly. "Because that man of hers is beating on her."

"What?"

"That's what people are saying Dean. No one knows for sure, 'cos she won't say a thing about it to no one."

Dean frowned darkly.

"He hasn't touched a hair on Liam's head. Sheriff Mills has had a lot to say recently…"

Sam came downstairs, looking between them. Dean looked away, considering. She had appeared fine, acted fine more or less and Liam had certainly been fine. But she had been favoring her leg more than he'd ever seen her do before and she had been walking differently. There were a lot of possible explanations for that though, and he wasn't sure whether to act on it or not. Every fiber of his being wanted him to run back to that house and make sure that she was alright, that she would be alright because she didn't deserve that. No one deserved it.

"Well, we're not exactly equipped here for either of them, are we?" Dean sighed heavily. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Who are you talking about?" Sam asked, looking between them. "Kora?"

"Yup," Bobby replied. "You gonna tell him Dean?"

Dean looked over at Sam and couldn't help the stupid grin that crept onto his face. "You're an uncle! Congrats man," he patted him on the back.

"W-what b-but then you're….?"

"A father! Yup. His name is Liam Jonathan, Kora named him after Dad."

"She knew Dad?"

"No, we got talking and she remembered his name and named Liam after him for me…"

"Wait," Sam said. "It's been like two years since you've seen her…"

"And Liam's probably about that old," Dean smiled sheepishly.

"And she didn't phone you?"

"No, no… she uh, she did. But I blocked her number… when I left…"

"Dean! You idiot!"

"I know that!" he growled. "I know!"

"What's she doing here? Wasn't she in Wisconsin?"

"She moved, apparently. Bobby met her…"

Sam looked at Bobby and Bobby shrugged. "Nice girl, nicer than anyone I've met."

"She _forgave_ me. And she's willing to let me be part of his life."

"Wow…" Sam honestly seemed shocked. "If I didn't know how you'd met her, I wouldn't believe you."

When Dean had arrived smelling like strawberries, he'd told Sam a little about Kora and they hadn't brought it up since. Well, not really anyways. He'd seen her when Zachariah had thrown them into a world free of hunting. She had been his beautiful wife. And he had seen her once more in the future, having to face Sam as Lucifer, where she had been a loyal follower that he would have nothing to do with. He had shut her out and thrown her aside, yet she still followed him, even though it led to her death.

He wasn't sure what he had done to earn Kora's affection. She was too good for him, far too good for him. But he was happy to be around her. He was happy to be with her.

* * *

><p><em>This is meant to be taking place in Season Five, hopefully I got the years right this time.<em>

_Thank you so much for all the great reviews!_


	6. 2010 Save Me

Save Me

Kora exhaled shakily after Dean had left, running her hands down her face. She had honestly never thought that she would have seen him again. And then he'd showed up. She hadn't expected Mr. Singer to know him and if they were family it wouldn't be very long until Dean knew what everyone else was gossiping about. She'd thought her little town in Wisconsin was small, but Sioux Falls was even smaller. Everyone seemed to know everything.

People saw bruises, heard crying and figured they knew everything. The saddest thing about that was that everyone was _right_. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to support Liam working two jobs. Alejandro would have gladly helped but she didn't want to be a burden on him and she tried to collect enough savings, but after the fire next door she'd been forced to move and the place she had moved to was more expensive. And she had to try and keep a healthy diet for the baby, which took even more money and then there was all the doctor appointments… she'd done the best she could.

So when she met Joe, sweet, sweet Joe who was a specialty emergency nurse, she leapt at the chance to get to know him better. He wasn't like Dean. There wasn't an instant connection and, on her side, there wasn't the passion and love that she felt for Dean. On Joe's there was plenty. He was too passionate, too fierce and too wild.

But that didn't mean she didn't like him. She didn't even think that he might have been abusive until she finally agreed to move in with him, to let someone take care of her when she needed it. He knew that Liam wasn't his, but he supported her nonetheless and she was grateful for it. She wouldn't have been able to do it on her own, that much was certain. It didn't mean she wouldn't have tried though, she probably would have gone to Al and her friends and everyone would have supported her. And considering things once again, it probably would have been better if she had done that. But it did her no good right now.

She had made a deal with herself, the first night he'd hit her. If he ever went for Liam, or even threatened Liam she would leave. And he hadn't. His outbursts were always directed towards her and they usually weren't that bad. Unless he was drunk.

But she had a roof over her head, good, healthy food for Liam and some income to spend on buying him things to please him. Joe often bought her trinkets to try and buy her forgiveness and she would give it to him. She hoped that he would stop though, that he would just go back to being the sweet Joe she had met and moved in with.

He wasn't Dean. She didn't love Joe. But he had been a good guy, or seemed one.

Kora exhaled shakily as she heard his car pull up. Things were not going very well this week, at all. People didn't trust Joe. They didn't know Joe like they did Kora. Joe had moved here only a few months before he had met Kora, and during that time he'd hardly ever been home which fuelled a lot of rumors. When he started actually living in his house and brought Kora with him, the rumors blew out of proportion. When one of their neighbors called the sheriff over because of some noise, Kora had found herself lying.

She wouldn't have had the money to go back to Wisconsin, to stay with her brother. And Al had a girlfriend anyways; she couldn't possibly burden them with her and Liam. They'd be getting in the way. Sure, the townspeople of Sioux Falls would have gotten together to get enough money so that she could go home, but she didn't want their charity. She wanted to be able to do things on her own. Joe was just… temporary.

When Liam was old enough, she could find a job and work her schedule around his school hours. She didn't have enough money to pay for daycare on her own. But when he was in elementary school she would have a chance at that, at least. She could –and she would –try. That was her plan for now, providing that Liam was safe.

She had to pick up all of his toys and put them away for fear that Joe would crush them and then turn on her for not keeping the house clean. It was too much to expect from Liam at his age to put things away when he was done with them, but he was eager to help Kora when she was putting things away and she'd made it into a fun game.

But Dean was back…

Kora had absolutely no idea what to do about that. But she was going to let him see Liam and be part of his life. Yes, she was still angry at Dean for not being there. And she was angry because she had been too stubborn to go to Al or someone else and wound up here and she could almost blame it on Dean too for not being there. But he probably wouldn't have been able to do much for her anyways. At least though, he might have been there to support her. To be with her throughout everything.

She had the feeling that he would have wanted to have been there, but he'd been forced to not be there.

Kora reached back to brush her hair over her shoulder, paranoia creeping in. She hated that Joe made her wear her hair down. It made her defenseless. She wasn't at the point that she was willing to cut her locks off, but she knew that if he grabbed her by her hair and forced her against the wall once more, she would do it. She would cut them off herself if need be.

The car door slammed and she heard his thumping footsteps. He wasn't anywhere near as impressive as Dean was. Joe stood at five foot eight, with lifeless brown hair that just laid flat against his skull. He had a hook nose and plain, beady black eyes under thick eyebrows. His lips were thin, bland and boring just like the rest of his scrawny build. He wasn't anything like Dean at all. He had made it easier to forget Dean and simultaneously easier to remember, and cling to, the dream that Dean had been.

But Dean was back. Dean lived maybe ten minutes away from Kora. Or at least he was staying there. He was going to be here for a week. He could save her. If she let him. If she wanted him to. But that was difficult to decide. She didn't like being hit, but… Liam needed to be looked after. She had to look after Liam and if she were on her own she would be unable to do even that, unless she wanted to give up on ever spending quality time with him.

Kora greeted Joe with a warm kiss –suddenly less interested in him and his lackluster kissing. She could taste the lingering alcohol on his lips and she knew that tonight would not be a good night. She pulled back quickly, maintaining the fake smile she had found herself wearing so many times before. She didn't want Joe to see through it, but when she had seen Dean she was hoping that he would have. She hoped that he knew.

Kora hurried into the kitchen to start cooking supper. She'd had the lasagna ready since early this afternoon and now all she had to do was put it in the oven. The pie was already made, so dessert was covered and there was fresh coffee in the pot from when Dean had left. She spotted the two mugs on the table and knew that inevitably he would know that someone had been over and he wouldn't believe her over who it was. Not that she would tell him it was Dean though, that would only inspire a jealous tirade if nothing else. He was a staunch believer that women and men could not be friends without there being something more between them. She couldn't tell him that Al had come over to visit because he knew that Al was unable to afford a trip like that. She could tell him it was Mr. Singer, he might believe that, but he would still be unhappy about it.

"Who was here?" he demanded, looking at the other mug as expected.

"Mr. Singer," she replied desperately. She wasn't really friends with that many people; she knew some people from the grocery store and a few other businesses but mostly she spent her time in the house. Unless Joe was hauling her over to some work party or something.

"I bet it was that woman, that sheriff. Mills."

"No, I told you it was just Mr –"

"Or was it a social worker huh?" he growled. "You tryin' to report or something 'cos you know they'll just take Liam away from _you_."

"No! It was Mr. Singer!"

"You bitch!" he snarled. "Just tell me the goddamned truth!"

"I am!" Kora protested desperately, shoving the mugs into the sink to try and reduce anything that could further harm her.

"Mr. Singer doesn't drink coffee!"

"How would you know?" she growled defensively.

He slapped her then, right across the jaw with enough force that she stumbled back. She didn't look at him, fighting the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Kora took a deep, steadying breath and slowly exhaled. Joe was scowling at her; she could feel him watching her as she tried to compose herself. There was a part of her that wanted to fight back, that wanted to win and then she could go running to Dean. Dean would keep her safe…

But she'd tried fighting back before. And Joe knew all her moves. He was a big bully and there was a part of her that feared he would go for Liam if she tried to fight too much. She wouldn't let anything happen to Liam. He was her _son_ and it was her _duty_ to protect him and keep him safe. And this wasn't a safe environment but what was she supposed to do? She needed to feed and clothe him and she wouldn't be able to meet all of their needs if she was out working and she didn't want to burden Al….

"Don't start crying," he growled, his fists balling up. "Don't you start."

It was hard not to and Kora tried to fight her emotions back but was unable to. She was between a rock and a hard place. What was she supposed to do? The tears rolled unheeded down her cheeks despite how she practically begged them not to do so.

And then, Joe was upon her, his fists hammering against her. Kora had her arms against her face, trying to protect her head in case he changed targets. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out, reminding herself that she had been through worse. There was always something worse; there had to be or this would just be too much and she wasn't ready to give up just yet. A loud _crack_ resounded and for a minute Kora was stunned, expecting excruciating pain to arrive any second.

"Kora?"

She knew that voice… Dean… She moved to get up but Joe shoved her back down as he went to square off with Dean. She remembered how effortlessly Dean had handled the jerks at Sonata's –she wasn't worried. At least, that was what she told herself. The sounds of fighting reached her ears and Dean knocked Joe out. Kora only prayed that when he woke up, that he wouldn't try to charge Dean with assault.

Dean rushed over to her side as she attempted to get up. Her whole body ached and she knew that beneath her clothing there were a lot of black and blue bruises. She fell against Dean's chest, his arms wrapped around her. He smelled familiar, like gunpowder and old leather and it was… familiar.

"Why don't you spend some time at Bobby's –he'll be fine with it."

Kora nodded reluctantly. She needed some time to get away and think at least. "Okay," she mumbled.

"I'll help Liam get ready," he offered.

Once again, she nodded numbly and led him upstairs to their rooms. Kora grabbed her stuff and halfheartedly shoved them into bags. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing at this point, exactly. Or what she was going to do for that matter. She didn't want to burden anyone… But she didn't want to stay either. She wanted to be with Dean, she wanted to spend time with him and be a family. But Dean probably wasn't a family man and he probably wouldn't ever be able to be with her like that and she knew that she would have to get used to that.

The problem was that she didn't want that. She felt safe with Dean. She _knew_ she was safe with Dean. She knew Liam would be safe. She could get a few jobs and try and make sure that she would have nights off to spend with Liam, maybe… She didn't know. She just did not know what she was supposed to do –she knew what she wanted, but she wasn't going to try and attain that because she couldn't.

She wouldn't be able to get a house with a picket fence. She couldn't get a loan and go to school because she needed to spend time with Liam and because if she were on her own she would have to work and juggling those three things wouldn't bode well for end results. She'd either flunk school and be left with a loan to pay off, or she would lose her job and be unable to support them financially. Whatever Dean did for a career might help them along, a little, or maybe enough but that was only if he could afford to give them the aid that they would need.

She couldn't stay with Bobby, that would be a temporary thing. She'd have to find a cheap place to rent and try to get enough jobs to pay for living expenses and babysitters.

She grabbed her bag and headed back downstairs, where Dean was waiting. He was holding Liam in his arms, the little guy sleeping sounding against his chest. His other hand had the bag with Liam's things in it. Kora glanced at Joe as she followed Dean out to the Impala.

What would she do now?

* * *

><p><em>My Internet is horrible; I've been trying to post this chapter for the last three days.<em>

_I know nothing about children -I hope Liam seems like a child at least..._

_And I hope you like this chapter_


	7. 2010 Choices

Promises

The only reason Dean had broken in to save Kora, had been because he was on surveillance outside her house. It was creepy, yes, but he felt better about it after realizing the monster that Joe was. He had seriously considered killing the bastard and burying him out in Bobby's backyard, but he was pretty sure that the police might have been looking for the monster and the murderer and would eventually realize. And as much of a monster that Joe had been, he wasn't supernatural.

So he drove them to Bobby's and after a brief, quiet discussion came to the conclusion that it would be better if he left Liam with Bobby and then went out for a drive with Kora. She was quiet and looked a little shocked, easily agreeing. He carried Liam out and into Bobby's, telling the old hunter what had happened and what they were going to do. They'd be back before morning that was for sure.

Dean headed back out to the Impala to find that Kora was leaning heavily against the window, looking at Bobby's.

"Do you mind staying at Bobby's for awhile? Until you get a place to settle down?"

"No," she mumbled quietly.

"And why were you staying with that creep?" He started the Impala up.

"I… Working two jobs wouldn't have let me spend enough time with Liam and I, I want to spend time with him. I wouldn't make enough money to do nearly enough…"

"So you got with that creep?" Kora practically cringed and he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's… fine," she mumbled. "It's the truth right?"

It was Dean's turn to sigh so he drove them out into the wilderness. He got out of the Impala, taking off his leather jacket and putting it on Kora. She was holding it together, but he was sure it wouldn't take much before she broke down. She needed to do something to release her frustration, especially if she wasn't willing to cry.

He led her out to the small clearing that he and Sam had often played in as kids. He pulled his gun out and offered it to her. She looked at it cautiously, eyes wide. He smiled slightly and showed her how to shoot, setting it in her hands and moving his hands over hers. It was early evening and the sun was setting, but they didn't need to see for this. He reminded her how to shoot once more, and guided her hands with his until she pulled the trigger and sent a bullet speeding harmlessly into a tree trunk a few feet away.

He pulled his hands away and stepped back, watching her. She glanced at him apprehensively and he just nodded. And then she turned back and he saw the shaking stop and her stance shift as she balanced herself better and started firing. It was at one tree in particular, and in the fading light he could see tears rolling down her cheeks as she emptied as many bullets as she could into the tree. It wasn't exactly the best release, but it was a form of it at least.

He didn't know precisely how long she had been with that asshole, or how long he had been hitting her but she needed to get rid of some of that emotion before she blew up. He took the gun back from her, putting the safety on and shoving it down the waistband of his jeans.

"Hit me," he told her.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head as he had expected. But he wasn't going to let her get away quite that easily.

"C'mon, hit me," he repeated. "You're so small, it's not like you'd even be able to hurt _me_."

He saw the look in her eyes; saw her stance shift just slightly into a more balanced one used for fighting.

"What, afraid of me or something?" he jibed ruthlessly.

She charged at him then and she managed to get a right hook to his face before he could stop her. It hurt like a son of a bitch too –she hadn't been holding back. He stopped her next blow, deflecting it harmlessly. She made a noise of frustration and tried to punch him again and he saw the hesitation in her eyes but he caught her hand with his. She threw another punch at him, feigning with her body but he just barely managed to catch that hand too. Her movements weren't as practiced, but they were harder and fiercer than he had expected from her.

She threw her body weight against his, which wasn't very much and didn't really make a difference. He lightly tightened his hold on her hands, not enough to hurt her but just enough to ensure that she would have to fight a little more to get free. She stilled beneath him and he cautiously looked down at her. Her forehead was resting against his chest and her whole body was totally relaxed beneath him. Cautiously, he loosened his grip on her to see if she was going to try and break free but she didn't. She sniffled a little though and he loosened his grasp further, reaching to pat her back.

She moved back away from him, rubbing at her eyes. He set his hand comfortingly on her shoulder and she grabbed his hand. Perhaps, if he had been expecting it, he could have easily fought her off. As it was, he had no idea that she knew how to do it and neither was he expecting it. She threw him as if he were nothing more than a paperweight. He gasped for air, a bit winded from the unexpected throw.

Kora hurried over to his side, apologizing profusely. He didn't want that. He gently cupped the back of her neck and pulled her close to him, bringing their lips together in a tender and loving kiss. He couldn't tell her how he felt but he would at least show her that she was important to him. And she could really take care of herself –he would probably have a black eye tomorrow and he'd have to say that his tough fighter girlfriend got the first hit because he was being a gentleman. Really, he _could_ have blocked or dodged the hit. He'd just decided to let her have the first hit. That was it exactly.

Kora kissed him back, her arms going around him. When they pulled apart, she still hadn't let go of him. She pressed closer, keeping her face hidden against his shoulder.

"You're capable of protecting yourself," he murmured softly, hardly breathless at all. "You could have beaten him black and blue."

"I-I tried," she mumbled weakly.

"But then you gave up. I beat him, I'm bigger and stronger than him and you just threw me over your shoulder as if I weighed nothing."

"That's 'cos I… I let you think that I'd given up."

"But you didn't that with Joe the plumber," he reminded her gently. "You just gave up. You _could_ have won Kora, you could have."

"But I-I didn't," she whimpered and he could feel her tears against his neck. He shivered a little and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. The ground was cold and air was chilly, but he held her close.

"That's okay, you know. You were protecting your family. And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry."

Her grasp on him tightened a little and she sniffled softly. "I missed you, so much but I-I don't know what to do…"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I want to be with you," she whispered. "I want… I want you. I want a family and a-a nice house and a dog… I just want you; I want a family with you. Only with you…"

Dean froze at that. He should have been expecting that answer. He should have known that it was coming. It wasn't that surprising, not really. She was that kind of a girl.

"I know you can't give it to me…" she continued quietly. "It's just a silly dream."

"It's not silly," he murmured. "It's a dream and it's not silly."

"I… I don't want to be a burden on anyone."

"You won't. Bobby won't mind the company, as much of a grouch that he is, he's lonely. Company will do him good, and you'll be safe there. I can see you easier than if I were anywhere else, talk to you whenever you need me…" Well just about whenever she needed him so long as he wasn't in the middle of a hunt or something. Or dead. Or giving in to Michael. He had a lot here that he didn't want to give up.

If she was with Bobby he could keep her safe. The angels wouldn't touch a hair on her head, of that he was… relatively sure. It was just too dangerous for them to be together but if she was going to throw herself into relationships with creeps who beat her, then he would rather be the one with a _risk_ of danger than a certainty of it. Although perhaps his danger was more likely to kill her…

"And Bobby could use the help, I mean his house isn't exactly clean or managed well…" he added, trying to appeal to her helping nature.

"Okay," she replied almost instantly. "So long as Mr. Singer needs help, and is willing to allow me to help and stay, then I'll stay." She smiled shyly at him.

He wasn't sure what made him do it, but at the time it just seemed like the right thing to do. He pulled her close and kissed her again. It was so good to know that she was safe, that she was going to be safe and that Bobby would keep her safe. That idiot guy who she'd been with wouldn't get within a foot of Bobby's and he was pretty sure from what Bobby had said that if tried to sue for assault that Sheriff Mills would take care of that.

He knew that there wasn't a certainty after this week that he would see her. He was never sure of when he was going to be killed next, but he knew that he could very well be killed by the angels or the demons any day. And he knew that he liked Kora in a way that he hadn't felt for other girls before. Even Cassie. With Kora, it somehow went deeper. And he didn't want to leave her.

He pulled his ring off and took her hand in his, lamely sliding the ring onto her ring finger. "A promise," he mumbled gruffly. "That I _will_ come back and that you'll still be there." Wherever there happened to be, he wanted to know where it was. To know that she was safe, to know that Liam was safe.

The ring was too big for her, but by the look in her eyes he was pretty sure that she didn't care. She kissed him again and he sat up as he held her close. He probably should have told her before he gave her the ring about the monsters and the hunting and his parents' deaths… He just wanted to enjoy the moment, to know that she was there for him. For now. He was pretty sure that after she knew, she would leave. And if she held her word, he might be allowed to know where she went. He might be able to make sure that wherever she went she was okay. Or she might never talk to him again. She might not tell him where she went. That was the worst case scenario though.

For now, they were together and they were going to be together. She was feeling better about the whole abuse thing but he didn't doubt that she still had issues. At least he certainly felt better about her being able to defend herself adequately. He had believed her when she told him but then when he'd found out that the bastard was really abusing her, he had begun to doubt a little because there was no surface reason for why she would allow it to happen. Except that she'd been left alone and trying to protect Liam, on her own without burdening anyone.

Idiot. He was surprised at the amount of tenderness and fondness that he still held for her. She was something different alright. And there _was_ something between them. There had to be something different with her, he knew that. That was why he hoped that she didn't run away, calling him crazy when he told her before he left. He would tell her before he left to try and stop Lucifer. She had to know that she might not see him again and she deserved to know why.

He had no right in giving her that promise, but he did mean it.

* * *

><p><em>I'm going to upload two chapters today just in case I don't get Internet again. It's finicky.<em>

_I meant to explore Kora's issues after the abuse but it turns out things aren't quite going to end up in that direction, unfortunately._


	8. 2010 The Truth

Bonus Scene

Sam glanced at Bobby as Kora smiled warmly at them, her fingers laced with Dean and his ring on her ring finger.

"Who the hell is she?" he mumbled under his breath to Bobby.

"Dean's special someone," Bobby replied with a chuckle. "Look at him."

Sam did. His brother was _happy_. Because of her. She certainly wasn't Dean's usual type. From the little bit of conversation he'd had with her, she seemed polite, courteous and respectful. Also, humble and grateful. She was practically glowing, always looking at Dean when he wasn't looking at her and Dean did the same.

Sam wondered if he and Marissa were like them, looking at each other when the other wasn't. He couldn't consciously remember doing it, and he was sure that Dean wasn't aware of it. He wondered though, what promise Dean had given that went with that ring. He'd started to ask if she'd known, but Dean had cut him off with a sharp look and Sam had dropped it.

She was happy and she didn't know. She didn't know that they were going to the end of the world, or that Dean could die. That Liam might never know his father save in what his mother remembered. If she survived too. He didn't like it that Dean hadn't told her and he guessed Bobby didn't either. But neither of them wanted to disturb Dean's happiness. They couldn't bear to do it, to see her reject him and run. The only hope they had was that when, or if, he told her, that she wouldn't run. Because Sam was pretty sure that Dean couldn't handle it.

The Truth

The week felt like a dream from heaven. Kora spent every minute she could with Dean and Liam. And Sam, it was nice to meet him. He was so different from Dean and she could see what Dean meant when he described him as sensitive. It felt like home. Sam was a great uncle, and Dean was a great father. Bobby was like a grandfather almost and he let them do as they wanted to. Bobby had also given her permission to stay and help him, although she was sure that he would have rather struggled to do it all on his own.

Sam would play for hours with Liam and so would Dean, but Liam always seemed to have more energy than both of the men. Yesterday Kora had come downstairs from her shower to discover that Liam had gotten hold of a felt pen and doodled on both of their faces. Sam had been turned into a cat and Dean was form of a spotted animal. She'd immediately taken away the felt pen and made sure that the scissors were far out of reach. Sam needed his hair cut, for sure, but not by a toddler. A professional yes. She hadn't told either of them about the doodles and for one reason or another they didn't point it out to each other; it wasn't until everyone was getting ready for supper that she heard Dean laughing. Sam joined in too and they finally owned up to each other about the felt doodles and then all eyes were on Liam. Liam had simply smiled innocently and waved from his spot at the table. Bobby shook his head and Kora grinned.

They all seemed so strong and tough on their own and she _loved_ it here. She slept with Dean every night, in the same bed when she could. They didn't actually do anything, because they did have a child and Dean's family was present. If he had tried it, she would have denied it. Also they had only just gotten back together and no matter how much she would have enjoyed being with him, they didn't really have the perfect opportunity. She was perfectly fine with that. And she was sure that Dean was too.

She was not looking forward to tomorrow though, because early in the morning Dean would be leaving and no one really knew for sure when he and Sam would be returning. She wasn't sure why though and it made her a little anxious, but she didn't push either of them for answers that they weren't ready to give her. Bobby had taken Liam with him while he was out doing what he could with the cars –which probably wasn't very much.

Sam and Dean were currently seated in the kitchen; Dean was skimming through a magazine and Sam was on her computer while Kora baked some cupcakes. It was surprising how many baking supplies Bobby had handy –it was also convenient.

She was unaware of the silent conversation that the brothers were having over their magazine and laptop; gestures and facial expressions being traded in way of words for their argument. Sam's point was that Dean had to tell Kora about their jobs and Dean was trying to argue that he had time. He did have time, but he didn't have much time left before they were going to be on the road. Sam even accused Dean of shirking the responsibilities he had to her. If Kora hadn't been present, Dean would have punched Sam and he was seriously considering it despite.

"Kora, let's go talk?" Dean sighed, getting up and stretching from his spot. He shot Sam a glare as he hid his triumphant smile behind a cupped hand.

"The cupcakes –" they were almost done, and she wanted to make sure that they weren't going to burn. It would be just a few minutes.

"Sammy can look after them," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist playfully. "C'mon."

Kora consented easily and let Dean lead her over to the living room, which was crammed full of unusual books. Many of them were in unusual languages. Kora glanced over at Bobby's study as she sat down beside Dean; the doors to the study were always locked. Or at least they had been since she'd arrived, and she was curious to know what the big secret was that they were hiding from her. But she wasn't curious enough to push the issue. She didn't know what the answer was, but from how these three tough guys were acting she figured that it was something that she didn't want to know about.

"What is it?"

Dean smiled nervously, shifting slightly. He leaned forwards and gently took her left hand in his. She didn't wear his ring on her finger, because it was too big and she was afraid to lose it, instead she had found a cord and fashioned a necklace, wearing his ring over her heart. She felt like it was all a bit of a dream, especially when he'd put his ring on her and told her that promise. Joy didn't begin to describe the myriad of emotions that swirled in her heart when she thought of the ring, of Dean and his promise.

"You know how I… don't talk about my job?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"Well, Bobby and Sam do the same kind of stuff I do."

She knew it wasn't mechanics; that would have been too simple of an answer. She looked at him worriedly, suddenly realizing that there were a lot of cars in the backyard that Bobby worked on. Or would have, if he could have. Had worked on, at any rate. She hoped that they weren't drug traffickers. She really, really hoped that they weren't. She been considering that theory for a while, it would explain why they didn't stay in one place for too long and it would also have explained the many cars and the secrecy.

"We're… hunters," he stated it simply.

"Like you go out and shoot animals? Or poach or…?" For some reason her mind was stuck on theories that involved Dean and his family doing illegal things.

"Or… hunt monsters," he supplied for her, glancing at her. She could tell that he was nervous in the way that he was no longer looking in her eyes, instead staring at the carpet.

"Monsters like Joe?" her voice was quiet and apprehensive. She knew that wasn't what he was talking about. She didn't know what it was, but… it wasn't that. She asked the question because she wanted a rational answer.

Dean closed his eyes and exhaled. "Monsters like ghosts. Like pagan gods who sacrifice virgins, and demons and, well, everything else."

"You're a ghost hunter?" Skepticism was laced through her words as was incredulity. He seemed like a level headed guy, rational and level headed. Excluding impulse control. "You're a whole family of ghost hunters?" They were all intelligent men. How were they ghost hunters? They weren't even eccentric, not even slightly. It wasn't possible.

"I'm a Hunter. You know all those things that go bump in the night, the scary children tales?" He finally dragged his eyes over to look at her. "They're all real. And, well, we hunt them."

Kora blinked in disbelief. Her first reaction was that he was nuts, psychotic even. She pulled her hand away from him, moving further down the couch to put some space between them for her well-being. Liam. Her _son_ was with one of these… nut jobs.

"Kora…"

"Just don't come near me!" she snapped, putting her hand towards him to create a barrier between them. "Just… I need a minute."

Dean drew back, looking back at the floor awkwardly.

Her second reaction was to believe him. He was smart and he wasn't lying to her. He had never ever lied to her, instead avoiding circumstances where he would have had to. She had absolutely no reason to disbelieve him. But she wanted to –she didn't believe in ghosts or monsters or any of those things. Liam had nightmares about monsters and Kora had told him that he was fine, that there was no danger. And what, she was mistaken? That was hard to believe. She had never seen anything supernatural in her life, there was no proof placed before her either.

Except, the honesty, shame and hurt in Dean's eyes. Not that he'd willingly let her see either but she knew. She just… knew. That he was anxious, that he was scared and that he wasn't lying. She… believed that.

But…

"So that's… why you carry guns and knives?"

"Yeah," he glanced at her, hopeful.

"Is it… dangerous?"

He snorted and then started to laugh and she felt like she must have just asked the world's stupidest questions. "You've seen the scars."

When he'd told her that he lived a dangerous lifestyle, she though he meant motorcycles and crashes when he was younger. Not that it was his _job _and that he did it willingly.

"Why do you do it?"

"Someone has to and if we don't there are a _lot_ of innocent people who die."

"You could… die?"

"Yeah," he murmured softly, looking at her. He reached to twist the ring he was so accustomed to being there and instead changed the now-awkward motion to that of fiddling his fingers a little.

That… That was probably all Kora had ever needed to know. She threw her arms around him and held on like she was never going to let him go. She didn't need to know for herself. She believed Dean. She didn't want to let him go, to let him go to this dangerous job tomorrow morning. But it was what he did.

He explained to her about the credit card scams, about the hustling and about the fact that he had died. He told her about the Apocalypse too. He told her about Lucifer and Michael and Kora really didn't want to let go of him then. He told her about his parents and about Sam, how it happened and what they knew.

At least her mother had died naturally, and when her father had walked out of her life she'd never felt the need to chase after him. She had never wanted to either. She had a brother and a loving family and she… She had normalcy.

"Will I be safe?" she whispered after a few moments of silence had descended between them.

"Bobby's house is demon proof, and if one gets in you and Liam can hide in the panic room. No demons can get inside it, okay?" he gently caressed her cheek. "To avoid possession, well," he lifted his old ring up and smiled. He showed her the pentagram engraving on it. "This will keep you safe."

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "For… telling me."

Dean glided his hand down her back. "Thanks for not running, or calling me crazy to my face."

Kora had to smile at that, apparently he knew her pretty well to. Sure, she hadn't said it to his face but she had thought it. She didn't feel bad about that because it did seem ridiculous. She focused her thoughts on the fact that she believed Dean though. There was no way an insane person would have that much to say, or believe about everything. And Dean wasn't the only one who thought like that. Dean told her why Bobby's study was locked. It had been to protect her and Liam.

"I'm not going to be like my Dad, I promise you that. If you… If you want, I will teach Liam how to defend himself. I'll keep him safe, but I won't make him choose to be a Hunter. Or if you'd rather… he doesn't ever have to know."

"No, we'll tell him. When he's old enough to understand, okay?"

It wouldn't be right if Liam didn't know what his father did. And it certainly wouldn't be right if he didn't worry about his father while he was out working. Kora wanted her son to know what kind of a hero his father was and that was what she was determined to guarantee him. She could see the relief in Dean's expression as well as the hesitancy that was there.

"You won't be like your father," she murmured comfortingly. She meant it too. She knew Dean well enough to be certain that he would never be like the man his father was. In the time she had spent with him and Sam over this last week, she'd heard a lot of stories about John and knowing how he had passed didn't change her opinion of the man.


	9. May 2011

May 2011

"What do you mean you can't do it?" Dean growled, his hands clenching as he glared at Castiel.

"I am sorry Dean, if I could I would do this for you –"

"You're an angel!" he snapped.

"You would require a cupid to even begin the task you've asked of me and an archangel's permission to fully complete it. Only they are capable of altering soulmates –I am sorry Dean, I cannot do this for you."

Dean punched the wall, glaring at it furiously. What was he supposed to do? If he stayed near Kora he risked putting her and Liam into more dangerous situations. He couldn't do that to them –she deserved some happiness and he was only putting her into more dangerous positions.

Over the summer he'd spent with her, he had found himself captivated by her limitless kindness and patience. She didn't push for answers and gave him space when he needed it. But then there were the times when he had thought he wanted space and she seemed as if she knew otherwise, simply coming to sit next to him. She welcomed him into her life and he was… as happy as he could be with her.

It had been impossible to forget that Sam was trapped in hell. It had felt too good to be true. And it had been. When the Djinn struck he'd made sure she was out of the house, with her brother in Wisconsin much to their displeasure. But Kora hadn't argued, understanding his reasoning but he'd seen the regret to leave there. And then he'd had to force her to move, because it was getting dangerous there and with Sam not quite himself it was even better to put more space between them. She had been happy in the new neighborhood but he knew that she missed Bobby and she missed the friends she'd made too.

He just wanted her somewhere where she would be perfectly safe. If not for her quick thinking, Liam might not be… He refused to even think of it for a moment longer. She had come close to death and he just wanted her to live obliviously. He almost regretted telling her about what he did. He had tried to phone her every night, but it didn't always work out that way so he made sure it was once a week. He tried to make it home if they could spare the time.

Sam had been surprisingly difficult regarding that though. He wanted to keep hunting and hunting. At least for Christmas he was back to himself and had been able to have dinner with Kora. Bobby had been invited as well, but he'd said he had plans of his own so he didn't come. It was just his brother, his girl and his son for a lovely dinner.

And now, because of him she was nearly dead. Liam was currently in the waiting room with Sam, asleep on his lap. He was physically fine, but mentally was another question entirely that Dean wasn't ready to face. He knew what he would have to do in order to ensure that Kora was safe. He had wanted to save her the pain of this though, at the very least. It would have been so much better if they could have just forgotten all about him and hunting and been oblivious once more. But if he couldn't do that, it didn't mean that he was entirely out of options.

He walked past Castiel and into the hospital room. Kora was resting back against the pillows piled behind her, looking completely healthy. Cas had at least been able to heal her physical wounds and the doctors had paraded about and called it a miracle. It was a debt now paid.

"Hey," she murmured tiredly.

Healing itself could take some energy out of a person. And so could the whole trauma of being around demons and being held hostage. Liam could have been hurt. He intentionally avoided her gaze, knowing what would be there. Blame. It was his fault for bringing this down onto them, for putting her life and her son's in danger.

"How're you feeling?"

"Better, a little tired."

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye –her hand reaching for his. He didn't acknowledge her movement. "That's good."

She was quiet for a minute and when she spoke there was a sternness to her voice that he had only heard her use on Liam when he'd been trying to get out of a punishment. "Dean, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied, glancing at her. She didn't appear to believe him. "It's just… this," he gestured between them. "It's, uh… kinda getting a little old don't you think?"

"What?" she gasped, struggling to sit up further.

"You don't deserve someone like me," he scoffed. "I'm a jerk and to be realistic, I can't be _that_ great of an influence for Liam. I'm always in trouble with the law," he told her, trying to appeal to her motherly instincts.

She didn't even look slightly convinced, mostly annoyed. So he decided to continue on. He wasn't going to keep putting her in danger. He couldn't do that to her –he couldn't destroy her life. He wasn't going to let her or Liam be in danger and it would depend on whether he could convince her that he didn't care about her anymore in order for her to move on and find some regular white-picket fence type to settle down with. He was confident enough that she would beat the bastard up if he so much as raised a hand against her.

"I want someone I deserve. I don't deserve you –you're way too good for me. You just… let me do whatever I want to without ever putting up a fight. That first week I was back I was practically drunk the whole time and you just… smiled and fixed what needed to be fixed."

"Because I love you!" she snapped thickly. Tears in her pale eyes already, he managed a careless sigh with some difficulty.

"You've never been angry with me –I doubt you'd ever get angry at me. It's boring." No, it wasn't, his mind shouted at him. It was pleasant to know that he was always accepted by her, that his actions weren't life shattering. That she supported him even when she didn't agree with him. He knew that she hadn't agreed many times, but she had nonetheless supported him because it was his decision. Not hers. Even when it was hers, then if it was in her best interest she would still support him after offering a few reasonable protests.

"Boring?" she repeated, incredulity heavy in her voice as she blinked her tears away.

"You're boring. We're boring," he added flippantly. "We do the same thing every time, we hardly have enough time to spend together and we just about never have sex. And I'm not going to fulfill that little dream of yours, Kora, I'm not the marrying kind," he added a little harshly. "I wouldn't even do a Vegas wedding with you." He knew that she wanted nothing more than to get married to him. He knew that she wanted a big, white wedding. It had been her dream since she was a child, but he had told her that he didn't believe in needing a piece of paper or a priest to tell him that he was with her. She had quaintly said something about being content with even a Vegas wedding and hadn't brought it up again.

"I care about you, and Liam," he told her honestly. "But I don't want you anymore."

"If you would spend more time at home, we would have time for things like sex. And you could actually _tell me_ that I'm boring and you know, tell me things that you like rather than being so laidback about it. If you'd actually been a man about it," she sneered, "then maybe we could have worked things out. But obviously you think I'm too stupid to not see through your act Dean Winchester. You're trying to keep me safe aren't you?"

Dean glared at her, frustrated. "No, I'm not."

"Then what do you gain from breaking my heart?" her hands fisted in the sheets as she stared defiantly at him. He tried to avoid her gaze. "From leaving Liam? If it was just me, then sure you'd leave no problem but you wouldn't tell me. But your own son…? You'd just leave him?"

"Yes," he ground out. If he said it enough he could convince even himself of it. She could replay this conversation as many times as she'd like and the answer would always be the same. "You know the basics, you'd be fine."

"What if I'm not? What if he isn't?" she pressed.

"Kora!" he snapped finally. "You can't just… back me into a corner and expect me to stay." Her eyes widened. "I _want_ to go. So let me go. I don't want you, or Liam. I wish you the best and I hope you find someone more worthy."

He got up and he left. Liam was still asleep on Sam, and Sam looked a little tired out too. Dean picked Liam up gently. He roused sleepily mumbling "Daddy?"

"Yeah?" he asked wearily, hoping he wasn't as intuitive as Kora seemed to be.

"Is Mommy going to be okay? Uncle Sammy said she would but…"

"Yeah, she's gonna be just fine." He ruffled his platinum blonde hair, well aware that this was the last conversation he would have with Liam. He hated himself for it. "You wanna go see her?"

"Uh-huh!" he said excitedly, grinning up at him.

It was amazing how the kid could go from zero to five in two seconds. "But you're gonna have to be quiet okay? Mommy's a little… tired."

"Okay," he said agreeably.

Dean hugged him tightly, just outside Kora's door before he set him down and released him to attack his near-tearful mother. He turned away and briskly walked away. It wasn't very long until he heard Sam following him.

"What happened?" That was his persistent tone alright, he wasn't going to let this one go until he knew. "Dean-?"

He didn't even stop to look at him. "She can have the life she deserves with her son and I won't put their lives in danger again."

"Dean!"

He turned to look at Sam, frustrated. "I don't want to talk about it."

He could see that Sam wanted to protest, to argue but it wasn't as though time was exactly free on their hands. They had to stop the gate from opening and time wasn't exactly on their side. Kora would be fine on her own. She knew how to keep Liam safe, in case something were to happen and it wasn't as though he was going to block her number. Although he should have done it, for their safety, if something serious happened to Liam he wanted to know. If Kora was in trouble, he wanted to know. For his sanity, he simply deleted her contact from his phone.

Sam kept his mouth shut for once. Dean drove to where they had to go, forcing his mind back to the job at hand. He needed to be focused and so did Sam. Kora might never forgive him, but she would at least understand him. He knew that she knew why he'd done it. But he did not care about her. She was just a waitress he'd stayed with for a few years and had a kid with. She was just some gorgeous waitress…

His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"_Dean?" she murmured, sleep heavy in her voice. Her small hand was on his shoulder, rubbing gently._

"_Eh?" he mumbled, barely conscious._

"_I love you."_

_He turned to look over at her, uncertain of what he would say to discover that she had finally drifted asleep. _

It had been a long night for both of them. He hadn't meant to break in while a vampire –he'd just wanted to know that she and Liam were alright. He hadn't meant to push her. Or to hit her. But she'd just… She came too close and the simple urge to bite her was so overwhelming –he had only wanted to put distance between them.

When he came home, human again, he saw that he'd left a bruise. He had wanted to die on the spot. Kora simply asked what happened, hurt and confusion in her puffy red eyes. He told her everything. She'd known that he had been on a vampire hunt, but until that moment she hadn't known that he'd been turned. He wished that he could have comforted her, somehow, someway.

Kora let him back into her house, let him be near his son again. He wondered what he'd done to deserve such a loving woman. She was far too good for him –and that wasn't the first time he'd thought that.

The first time, when he'd really thought that she was far too good for him, was during that summer. That summer without Sam. Being a mess didn't even begin to describe how he had been. He drank himself into a stupor every night and was fairly sure that he must have been crying, because he'd wake up and it was awful. But he never woke up where he'd fallen asleep.

He had a vague memory, from one of those early summer days.

"_Oh Dean, come on," she murmured, wrapping her arms around him with difficulty. He stumbled to his feet, nearly tripping over them as he got off the sofa. There were a few empty beer bottles on the coffee table, not a drop left in any of them. _

_It was late at night, the television was off and aside from the streetlight there was no light outside. The moon was concealed by thick, black clouds. _

"_Dean," Kora pleaded. "Shh, Liam's asleep." _

_He swallowed thickly, trying to make it up the stairs without tripping –a near impossible task lately. He kicked one of the stairs, his feet going out from under him as he hit the stairs painfully, dragging Kora with him. He heard her whimper and her hand went to her ankle, squeezing painfully and rubbing. She was getting back up, forcing him to get back onto his feet as well. She didn't even look upset. _

"_He's gone," he whispered, thickly. Something wet rolled down his cheek and off his chin. "And I can't bring him back."_

"_He'll be okay," she assured him uselessly. She didn't know what he knew. Sam would never be okay. His wonderful little Sammy was being destroyed from the inside out. And he'd made that stupid promise to come back here… So he came but he'd been researching. Looking for some way to break Sam out._

_The angels couldn't free him –or so Castiel said. That didn't mean that there wasn't some other way. He tried to get ahold of Marissa, to see what she knew, if she knew anything. Because if anyone would have known, she would. He did get ahold of her and she was in tears too, neither of them able to say a single coherent thing other than _his_ name. _

_Kora led him to their bedroom and he fell back onto the softness gratefully. He looked up at her and saw tears in her eyes._

"_Whatch you cryin' over?" he slurred. _

_She set her hand on his forehead and lay down beside him, her head on his shoulder. "Sam," she murmured softly. "And you."_

"_Why?"_

"_He was your family," she murmured simply. _

_He wanted to ask her why she looked after him when he was such a wreck but he already knew. She'd never said it, but she loved him. She had to –because why else would she bother looking after someone like him? She didn't deserve this –a drunken wreck on her doorstep after everything she'd done. She was too good for this._

She had looked after him because he was a wreck, but he was able to function during the day and so long as Liam was around he was fine. But when she went off to bed after tucking Liam in and spending some time with him, he would start drinking. And inevitably, she would wake up and come downstairs and bring him back upstairs. It was almost as though she had been afraid to leave him behind or something.

Or maybe, she just hadn't wanted to be alone. That was certainly a miserable thought to have. He had indeed left her, and no matter how he dressed it up, she was hurt and she was alone. But she would be safe. That was perhaps the only comforting thought he could reply on right now. He cranked the volume, letting AC/DC blast away the thoughts in his mind. If only it worked that way.

* * *

><p><em>Originally I was going to just describe everything that happened over the summer and go into detail regaridn what happened to Kora during her kidnapping but it... wasn't right for the way I have written this snapshot romance story. Within two chapters I think I'll have finished this story. <em>

_I wanted to include some of the summer events between them but it was difficult, especially with season six seeing as how I have removed Lisa and essentially replaced her with Kora. I don't want Kora to be Lisa's replacement so I struggled a bit with that. _

_Also, I'm not good at making Dean be cruel to Kora. So I tried to aim for some sort of middle ground, because with Kora having her memories intact she would be aware of what he was trying to do, but just because she's aware of it doesn't mean it wouldn't necessarily hurt. _

_I hope you enjoy this chapter :) I wish everyone an early Happy New Year's and I hope you had a great holiday! _

_(I wish mine was longer DX)_


	10. January 2012

Bonus Scene

"Who are you texting?" he demanded wearily as he flopped onto his bed. "Do you have a new girlfriend or something? It's like you haven't put down that cell since we got in."

"Uh, no one." Like he would betray Marissa. If he even so much as _thought_ of it, considered it, she would know. He was happy with her, in love with her and he would never be unfaithful to her.

"Well you've got that stupid grin on your face."

"A wrong number texted me today, they're, uh, quite amusing."

Dean shot him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Yeah," he lied, looking back at his phone as he received a message. He smiled slightly and quickly texted a reply back. If Dean knew who he was really texting, he wouldn't forgive him and he most likely wouldn't even understand why he was even doing it.

It was Kora. He had got the number from Dean's cell and texted her early this morning. Even though Dean wanted to keep her in the dark, and that was good and he _should_ have respected his wishes… But he wanted to know that Kora was safe. That she was alright. That Liam was doing well. And he knew that she would have wanted to know how he and Dean were doing, so that was what he had first told her. He shouldn't have been surprised to learn that she had a sense of humor. He thought of her as a sister, as much as Dean thought of Marissa as one. Marissa wasn't fond of texting though, she preferred phone calls. He called her at least once a week and spent an hour or two talking to her.

_Yesterday Dean said something about you running off into the sunset with a man and that he was happy for you _–he told her.

_I don't have anyone to make him jealous though… _-her reply came back quickly.

_I could be your pretend lover. If he didn't know Marissa he might think that I was cheating anyways. :3_

_Oh Sammy!_ He could practically hear her lighthearted teasing tone. _Will you run away with me into the sunset? :#)_

_Anything for you ;) _

"Who the hell are you talking to?" Dean demanded. "You better not be cheating on Marissa or I will so kick your ass!"

"I'm not!" he defended. He would have to try and be better at not laughing at her schemes. He knew that she wasn't being serious, just as much as he was. It was likely of some comfort to her, being alone and completely uncertain and afraid that Dean had moved on from her. Sam wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure how to tell her especially since she hadn't asked and maybe she really didn't want to know. So he kept their banter light and aside from telling her that Dean was alive and healthy, they didn't talk about him.

January 2012

It was at an ungodly hour of the night that the phone rang. Kora was awoken from the first sound sleep she'd had in a few months and something in her gut didn't feel right. She knew that something was wrong and panic flared to life when she saw _his_ name on her caller id. She answered with a trembling hand, terrified of what news she was sure to hear.

"Hey," he said gruffly, nearly casual.

She frowned, "What is it Dean?" She hated that she had to sound so disapproving but he'd left her. He'd left her with a child and a lot of unanswered questions. Answers that Liam wanted desperately. Answers that she would have loved to know too.

Somehow, it wasn't surprising when the line went dead. Kora nearly threw the phone in a fit of frustration. She went back to bed but she didn't go to sleep. It was the first time in over a year that she had heard from Dean Winchester… and he only bothered to say hi? He hadn't called to wish them a merry Christmas or anything. But somehow she was sure that the presents Bobby had sent for Liam, which included a race car track and numerous cars, a baseball set and a book set, were not solely from him. And the fair amount of cash she had received certainly wasn't from him alone either. But they had been sent together to her from Sioux Falls and Bobby was the only one she knew.

The troubled feeling in her gut didn't go away. She found herself lying awake, looking up at the ceiling. Hundreds of thousands of disturbing scenarios played through her mind and she remembered the last conversation she'd had with Dean that went like this. When he'd been a vampire and nearly made a horrible mistake.

She got out of bed and went downstairs, proceeding to begin baking to feed an army. She had nothing to do to distract her beyond that. Liam was currently in preschool and she'd found herself with enough time to clean the house. Twice. Now she could do some baking. But soon, she would be out of space and would have no idea what to do with them all but it was at least something to do that was distracting from the lingering feel of doom.

At seven o'clock Liam was downstairs, racing around and within an hour she had called him to breakfast, sat him down and made sure he ate decently. He was excited for preschool; he'd made a few friends already and he really enjoyed the painting exercises they got to do. Kora smiled tenderly and shut the oven off, pulling the cookies out. Despite his begging, she told him that he could have some when he got home and then she drove him to preschool. She smiled warmly and watched as he happily went to go and sit with his friends. She was happy for him.

She drove back home and went to go and start putting the cookies away. It wasn't until she was halfway there that she realized something wasn't quite right. It was… quiet and that sense of doom she'd had was screaming at her for being an idiot because something was most certainly wrong. For starters, some cookies were missing. Secondly, the chairs had been moved from where she had pushed them in. No one else had a key. She was the only one, she made sure of that and she kept the spare key buried halfway in her flower pot that was on the other side of the house. She'd never needed to use that spare key once yet.

There was dirt on her clean floor. Liam didn't track dirt in. He hadn't been outside once this morning and the boot prints were far too large to be his anyways. Panic began to bubble within her and pour forward. She raced upstairs, grabbing an iron poker on her way past the coat rack. She went to her room first seeing as it was the closest to her to check. She pushed open her bedroom door and saw a familiar man sitting there. The poker dropped from her hands and before she could stop herself she was moving towards him, reaching out to touch what surely had to be something that was going to kill her because this was a dream.

"Dean?" she whispered incredulously.

He shifted, turning further away from her and she realized that he was holding onto one of his shirts. A blush crept up her cheeks unbidden and she looked down at her feet, feeling ashamed. He had forgotten some of his things, one of them being a shirt that in her girlish little way had been… she hadn't been able to throw it out. As desperate and lonely and pathetic as that was, it was a reminder of Dean. Where she could pretend he was still with her, hadn't abandoned her, just gone to go save the world again. And now he knew just how pathetic she was.

"Hey, uh, Kora," he mumbled, dejectedly. He set his shirt down, by the pillows.

"W-why are you here?" she found herself demanding the explanation from him, looking up at him furiously.

His shoulders dropped and he looked over his shoulder at her. Kora felt herself completely falter, going to his side and wrapping her arms around him without ever thinking about it. She didn't know what was wrong, but just that broken expression on his face and she knew that it was something serious. It was like she was seeing him mourning Sam again. And that was… hard to take. Couldn't he just stay with her? She knew it was unreasonable and stupid but it hurt, to see him _this_ torn up over it.

"Bobby…" That was all he was able to say, and it was all he had to say too. She held onto him tighter, tears coming to her eyes. She would have given anything to be able to cry for Dean right now. Because she knew he wasn't… And she knew he wasn't going to either. "S-Sam's gonna pick Liam up and uh, they're going back to a motel for a while to give us… some time." He paused and then hastily added, "If that's alright?"

"It's fine," she whispered thickly.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, as though waiting for her to cry. And so she did, but it wasn't for herself. It was for the old hunter that had been lost to a life-long war and for the man holding her who wouldn't cry no matter how much pain he was in. He had to be strong, for someone else all the time and this time she couldn't try and keep it together. It wasn't horrible crying, or sobbing or even hysterics. She hadn't been that close to Bobby. But she grieved for him and to an extent, for Dean because he wouldn't do it.

She wasn't sure if it would have been better to keep herself together and try to comfort him, but she was afraid that if she did that he would take off running. Sam had probably been pushing him incessantly, or close to, in his way. But she wasn't… She couldn't do that to him right now. Dean wanted to do this on his own, probably. Either Sam had forced him to come here or he had simply come to comfort her when she found out.

If that was the case she wasn't exactly going to forgive him for it. He had left her, when everything was over and done with and he couldn't just coming running to her and hold her like this when she needed it and he knew she needed it. There had been a few nights, when she was alone and was sure Liam was asleep that she had found herself nearly crying. But she had to be strong for her son, for Dean and keep her family strong. On her own. She was okay with that.

She was not okay with Dean choosing to decide when she needed him and when she didn't because she always needed him. She would always need him, want him, desire him and love him. She just wished he would understand that. Or at least acknowledge it.

She wondered how long he was going to stay this time. She wondered if he'd moved on from her. Pain welled up in her chest and she shifted, her hands clenching in his shirt as she risked looking up at him. They'd been lying together in silence, just holding one another. Kora didn't want it to end, or to ruin it but…

"When are you leaving?"

He blinked and shrugged, turning away from her. "I don't know yet."

"You… you could stay, you know?"

"I… I can't."

"You can," she whispered, moving away from him. The problem was that he wouldn't.

"Kora, I'm sorry. I didn't want to come, but…"

But Sam had made him. Yeah, big surprise there. No doubt he thought that Dean needed her. He knew that she needed Dean but this was just being cruel now. She put her head in her hands.

He set his hand on her back, "But I… needed you," he mumbled it quietly, but he still said it.

Kora turned to look at him, hope and love in her gaze. She had missed him so much that this felt like a dream. But if it was one, then she never wanted to wake up again. She threw her arms around him, kissing him pleadingly. She begged him to kiss her back, somewhere in the back of her mind panic welled and was ready to spring forth as she clung to him and then he was kissing her back. Rough and demanding as he pinned her to the bed, claiming her as his, she surrendered to him.

It was a long but pleasurable night. Dean gave her no time, no opportunity to really consider the implications and if she were being honest she didn't want that opportunity either.

She woke up in his embrace, sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window. She looked at him tiredly, smiling softly. He looked so tired. She snuggled up close to him. Kora wondered how long he'd been letting himself suffer and she feared that it was likely a very long time. Dean really needed a place to call home, to return to it and relax and be with his family. Bitterness flourished within her. Was she really even his family? Liam was. Liam was Dean's blood. But she wasn't even his girlfriend at this point and she wasn't certain if he would even want her back.

She felt him stir, shift a little as he stretched, mindful of her. Terror welled up in her. He could wake up and regret having ever come to her. Having slept with her. She wouldn't let him go without seeing Liam though. Even if he… was cruel, to her. She would extract a promise from him, in blood if necessary, that he would treat Liam as his son which was no more than he deserved. She tried to feign sleep, knowing that it likely wouldn't fool him. But she wanted her illusion, her hopes back, even if it was just for a minute.

He brushed a sweet kiss to her forehead, his hand tracing a circle along her back. He twirled a half-formed golden curl around his finger. "I've missed you," he murmured, sleep heavy in his voice. "I probably… I really shouldn't have come back but I… I love you," he mumbled softly, kissing her temple.

She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face and was grateful that she was pressed close to him and that some of her hair had fallen across her face, hiding her expression from him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him too, but he already knew it and he had had no problem breaking her heart anyways. As well, she wanted him to continue to tell her his truth. He was surprisingly stubborn about being honest with himself and others too. It was wonderful to hear him say it though.

"Aren't you gonna say something?" he murmured quietly, his lips hovering over her ear.

Unbidden, a shiver went through her and she slowly looked up at him. "I wanted you to keep saying romantic things," she told him softly, smiling tenderly. "Of course I love you, even though you're a jerk and even though you broke my heart and left me." She added the last rather pettily, knowing it would make him feel guilty. Or perhaps she was hoping it would make him feel guilty.

"I'm not sorry, I did it for you."

She stiffened and pulled away from him. Truly, sometimes it would be better if someone stuck duck tape over his mouth because then she would have moments that she could enjoy. Like his prolonged silence before he said something so stupid that it made her want to retract her previous comment.

"You should go spend the day with Liam…" she murmured, moving so her back was to him. She put her sore muscles from her mind and didn't look at him. The tears in her eyes were a bit of a surprise though. She jerked the blankets off him, which was aided by the fact that he didn't fight for them and simply let her have them. There was absolutely no reason to not take advantage of this. Liam was away, with Sam, he would be fine and she could catch up on her sleep.

He reached over, like he was going to set his hand on her shoulder or something and he left something unsaid before he moved off the bed and proceeded to dress. He didn't look back as he left. She had hurt him just as much as he had hurt her now. It wasn't as though he was asking something simple of her. He broke her heart, abandoned her and only came back when he needed her. It wasn't as though she could go to him when she needed him; it wasn't as though she had contacted him when she needed him. Unless it was a dire emergency, she never would have phoned him. And since no occasions had arisen this last year, she'd had no reason to phone him.

She had talked with Sam, texted him. It wasn't the same thing though. Sam wasn't Dean. But at least she was able to know that they were okay. And she had convinced herself that was enough for her.

She heard a car pull up outside, heard the door close and the sound echoed through the house. She was alone once more. And this time it was her own fault. She wondered if he would return, but she couldn't tell if she wanted him to or not. The tears she'd been holding back, she let fall. She was such an idiot.

* * *

><p><em>This is why I waited so long to update, for Friday's episode to air and then I got distracted reading so here is my sort of belated update! <em>

_Hope you enjoy. More to come when I have time. I only have weekends available to write now and I have a stack of homework crying out as I put it further aside. My essays are now demanding to be longer and they don't accept papers that are shorter than the length they demand even though I can cover the topic acceptably without meeting their length and I'm a pretty wordy writer on top of it so I have to add more and more... Unfortunately, with demanding homework it saps my will to write when I'm sorta being forced to. So... as a warning:_

_If I have not posted by the end of this month, hope that in mid Feburary things go well and I might update. If things go wrong, it won't be until April or May. But I'm almost right at the end and I really want to finish this by next week or at the latest the week after next. I hope you like the bonus scene, it was just something lighthearted before entering this part and that way if Sam ever calls Kora his sunset lover you'll know where it came from._


	11. 2012 and onwards

2012

Of course, he just _had_ to go and screw it up. He shut the Impala door, turning the ignition on. If he'd lied she would have taken him back, easy. But he didn't know what was better for her. If he stayed with her now, then the leviathans would try and use her. Unless he could quit hunting –and no one ever could –then he would see her die. He would see Liam die. His parents hadn't gotten away from it, Bobby hadn't. No one would. He wasn't going to let Kora die. He wouldn't let Sam either. Sam had died before, of course, but after this… He was going to do whatever he had to in order to get Sam out of hunting.

He would give him a new identity; make sure that he was out of the country with Marissa. He would be able to keep himself safe and protect her. And that would be enough. He could start over. Sure, it was a little late, but things could always change. And Dean knew that he couldn't handle losing Sam. He just couldn't.

He exhaled heavily, resting his forehead against the steering wheel. He was in no mood whatsoever to go and see Liam. He was sure that he couldn't handle seeing him. It would have been too much. Right now especially. He really wanted to go and see him but… it would have been too much. He was glad to be away from Sam. Sam and his constant nagging and his questions. He didn't want to talk about it. It was bad enough telling Kora. He'd waited nearly a month or more before he went to her. Because _Sam_ had made him. Manipulated him into getting him to come here and trying to fake his innocence. Last night was… amazing. It was the best night he'd had in a long time and he would have loved to stay longer. To stay with her.

But he had to protect his family first. And to do that, he couldn't stay. For Kora, for Liam… he couldn't stay.

He went to the motel Sam was at, and was attacked by his rambunctious four year old with a million questions that he tried to answer and explain as best he could. Sam looked exhausted and within about an hour he could understand why. So he took Liam down to the park and did something he hadn't done in a very long time. He played catch with his son. Before it had been with Sam, and he could remember a time when it had been Sam that he'd been teaching how to play catch and he vaguely remembered Bobby playing catch with him. But that was a long time ago.

It didn't take long for Liam to start showing an aptitude for the sport. Dean was also extremely happy that he didn't have his mother's clumsiness. The first few initial tosses he was terrified that he would end up hitting Liam and that was the last thing he wanted to have happen. It would have been embarrassing to explain on top of everything else that would have accompanied it.

He took Liam home that evening. He hadn't thought knocking on a door could really be that frightening but it was. Slowly the door opened and Kora smiled at Liam, glancing at Dean as she took the sleeping kid. He'd worn himself out and around three he fell asleep with Dean on the bed while watching cartoons. Sam was out doing something, just giving Dean some time with his son.

"Could I… come in?" He didn't really expect her to say no, but he knew that she wasn't going to want to say yes either.

She glanced at him again, the barest movement of her head before she nodded. He felt a little like wilting right then and there. She was pissed. At least she didn't get bitchy when she was, but in some ways that would have been easier to deal with than the whole silent treatment thing. He could probably crawl around on his knees after her, begging her forgiveness and she would silently laugh at him. He had no doubt that she could do it. But she probably wouldn't. And he was not going to do that either.

… Not unless there was nothing else he could do.

He didn't want to leave with her angry at him. He would like to leave this time on good terms. Or as good as he could get. He didn't regret lying to her. He regretted that he'd caused her heartbreak, but it was for her benefit at that time. As much as he would love to walk out the door and leave, he knew that Sam wouldn't let him. And he _knew_ that he didn't want to either. No one was safe. No one. He didn't exactly have the time available to him that he had before. Not with that leviathan. He didn't know what was going to happen, but it wasn't going to be good and he was going to do his damn best to make sure that it did not happen. Even if that meant dying.

He helped her carry Liam to bed and tucked him in before going back downstairs. He didn't take off his coat, expecting her to throw his ass out the door any minute. He sort of wanted her to, so that if something –when something –happened to him that it would save her some pain. But he couldn't leave on his own. He knew that. Kora probably did too.

She came downstairs, her footsteps light and quiet as she came to a stop before him. There was a cute pout on her face, her brows slightly furrowed and her lips pursed without the tension that he was expecting. She wasn't angry. Thoughtful maybe.

"Dean," she murmured softly and he turned to her, hopeful and dreading. "Why… We can either be together or apart. I'm not… I won't do this halfway. And honestly, I'm… I'm tired. I love you, I really, really do but it does hurt when you break my heart and refuse to even talk to me. I _love_ you. So does Liam. I-I didn't even know what to tell him!

"Not that you would've really cared right? It was all about keeping us safe. I understand that. I do not appreciate it though. I want to be with you but if you're… if you're determined to keep away, then I can't –I _won't_ wait for you forever. I want someone in my life. I'll never love them like I love you. But I can, and I will, move on if you… if you don't want me." She turned away, just slightly, looking at her feet.

"Of course I want you." The honesty was a little surprising to him. He hadn't meant to be that honest. He wanted to keep her as far away from him as he could, so that she would be safe. But there was only so much lying he could take and he didn't want to hurt her. He definitely didn't want to push her away. He didn't even like the idea of her being with another man. He loathed it, actually.

She jerked in surprise, looking at him. "W-what are you willing to do?"

"I'm… Once I've sorted things with Sam, I'm willing to quit. And stay with you."

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to live some unreal fantasy in heaven. He… he just wanted to be normal for a little. He wanted to be there to see his son grow up. He would die before he saw Liam become a hunter. He would know how to protect himself, but he would never ever be a hunter.

First, he was going to make sure that Sam would be safe with Marissa. After this whole leviathan mess was sorted out. Once he knew that they had been dealt with, and that Sam was going to be okay, he was going to retire. Whatever anyone had to say, this was just… The more he hunted, the more it felt like a death sentence hanging over his head and waiting to devour him. It had done so numerous times before and he was sure that if he kept at much longer, it would.

He didn't want to leave Liam with vague memories of his father, growing up with another man and believing that he was his father. That would be horrible. He wanted Liam to know who his father was. He wanted to love Kora and spend as much time as he could with her. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He just… He wanted it to be over now. Sam and Marissa and Kora and Liam were the only family he had left. He would not lose them.

Kora threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He was sure he hadn't imagined the light in her eyes or the sheer joy on his face. He wondered if she had been just as reluctant to find herself with another man. He didn't care. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She smelt familiar. She smelled like home. His new home, the one that he was sure he was willing to make with her. He was positive about that. That he would stay with her for as long as she wanted him. Maybe even longer than that.

That night Dean stayed at Kora's. He spent the remainder of the weekend with her and Liam. Sam was patient and waited for him, as he had done earlier when Sam was with Marissa. He avoided an emotional farewell and promised his son that he would return home before he headed off.

It wasn't easy, tracking the leviathans down and learning what their plan for that field was. But he figured it out. And as he was readying for their battle against them, with the aid of a few other hunters they'd met. Sam had been the one who got them together, forcing everyone to realize that this was a job that was just too big. They weren't sure, even if they had prayed, if an angel would have answered them. A group of hunters was the best they could come up with quite so quickly, and sure they butted heads a lot but they managed. They were pretty good at managing things, when everything was considered.

He got a phone call in the middle of plans, from Kora. Which was weird, she was pretty good at waiting for him to phone her. There was a fear that she might call him when he was in the middle of a hunt, so whatever her reason it was serious if she was calling him first.

"Hey babe, what's up?" He didn't want to sound overeager or concerned, it could give something away. He glanced back at the group of hunters, each slowly turning back to look at the map spread out on the table.

"I'm pregnant!" she squealed. He could hear the enthusiasm in her voice and he felt a grin make it's way across his face. "I think it's a girl this time. I'm sure it's a girl. I-I'm two months along," she blabbered. She was definitely excited, to be blabbing on. She only did that when she was most excited. "O-oh sorry, I-I hope I'm not interrupting you b-but I just had to tell you and everything and please, tell me this is good? You're happy right? I didn't interrupt you from doing anything important? Maybe I should hang up now, aaaaah…."

"Kora, Kora." He waited for her to calm down, well long enough for her to stop talking anyways. "That's great news!" He let his own excitement into his voice. "I can't wait to see you. No you didn't interrupt. I'll be sure to come see you as soon as I can. Okay?"

"Okay!" she giggled.

He knew that she had to be so excited. He was excited too. They were going to have another baby. And he was going to be out of the hunting business and at home with her. He'd be able to be there and support her and help raise their baby. He couldn't wait.

"I love you," he murmured lowly, gruffly. "I'll be home soon." Before he could start growing lady parts or some sappy romantic music could start playing.

He didn't tell Sam until the others had left. Marissa was expecting too, so their children would all be in the same age group or at least close to. Marissa was sure that she was going to have twins, and neither he nor Sam were willing to argue with her. She was always right. Dean wanted to have a daughter. He believed Kora, if she felt that it was going to be a girl.

It was another two weeks before they got the jump on the leviathans and wiped them out. And then, they went home. Eventually, they managed to find the perfect little town and settle down. Sam and Marissa moved up to be with them, in the same town. They weren't quite neighbors, but they lived close to one another.

Theresa Gabriella Winchester was born in December, at what Kora insisted was the same day that she had Dean had met. He went with it, of course. His daughter was named after Kora's mother, and he was okay with that. One month later and Marissa gave birth to twins. Shawn and Helena Winchester.

Dean surrendered to Kora's demands reluctantly, a few months before Theresa was going to be born and he took her to Vegas and Elvis pronounced them husband and wife. It wasn't a legal ceremony. There was no fancy dress or tux, but they were married. Not married enough for Kora and too much married for Dean, but it was a slight compromise. A slight one.

Sam and Marissa got married in the spring, in a big white wedding. As much as Sam could afford. He'd been taking law courses online and had finished his degree in record time. Dean opened an auto repair business and worked there. Kora stayed at home, looking after the children and she gradually began to work towards getting a degree in nursing. Marissa kept up her fortune-telling business and he really believed that she should have made a lot more than she did, but she seemed content with it. They were all content, of course.

And it was a surprise, but a pleasant one, when Theresa took up auto mechanics rather than nursing. Liam thankfully didn't go into nursing, as Kora had teased them about. He went and played football instead, and Dean went to every game.

Life wasn't always perfect. Sometimes the odd ghost in town required being looked after, but no demons stalked after them. No one hunted for them. No angels visited them. He wondered if it was god, or maybe even Cas's will that kept the Winchesters from being disturbed. They all knew just how lucky they were.

* * *

><p><em>And this is the end. I hope I adequately explained Dean's reasons. It seems a little sudden, and I suppose it is, but at the same time it's also really, really right considering what makes him decide to do this. I hope you've all enjoyed this story so far, and as I have maintained, it is a short one. :) <em>


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